BIRD 2

The first thing that may strike you about this gull is its clean, pale grey wings and clean white ‘body’. This may lead you to conclude it is an adult bird. Next, you may notice the bright red bill (with a black band) and legs. These latter, in themselves, narrow it down to Black-headed or Mediterranean, or perhaps one of the rare vagrant gulls. Then you may notice the ‘ghost’ of a blackish hood; so it is one of the ‘black-headed’ species in winter. The bill is too thick and bright red for Black-headed (and the rare species) and is typically Med Gull in shape and colour. This is backed up by the pale back. But the black and white wing tips are wrong for an adult (which have clean white wing-tips): this is a second-winter Mediterranean Gull.

KEY FEATURES

†Pale grey back and wings

†Bright red bill and legs

†Ghost of a black hood

†Black-and-white wingtips are pro-second-winter Med Gull

Pale back and wings, black and white wingtips Bright red thick bill And red legs