Bird Description

N. species, fairly common in Canada, scarce winter visitor s. of border. Big and hardy. Occasionally hybridizes with HEGU ('Nelsons Gull'). Compare with ICGU. Leucistic and worn birds can be a problem. ID: 4-yr gull. Large size (usually bigger than HEGU) and pale wing-tips usually diagnostic. Compared to ICGU has much longer bill and flatter head giving fierce impression. Longer-tailed with a more tapered rear end (less pot-bellied). Shorter wing point and primary projection. Ad: white flight feathers contrast strongly with pale gray upperparts. Striking in flight. Head usually lightly streaked in winter. Pale yellow bill with weak red spot. 3rd-yr: as adult with some imm feathers and dark on bill. Juv: (commonest plumage seen in US) finely patterned internal feather markings on creamy buff, which fade to white through winter. Always striking 2-tone pink bill with well-defined black tip. Eye often appears small on large head. Dark iris. By late winter darker markings fade and can appear strikingly white. 2nd-yr: similar but has uniform gray mantle and pale iris.