Utah Winter Gulls

  
by Dennis Shirley

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     Franklin's Gull  (similar species)
  

Breeding Adult - thick eye crescents, center of the tail is gray
 Photo by Lu Giddings   ©Lu Giddings
  

Breeding Adult - white bar separating black wing tips, red bill
 by Kent Keller   ©Kent R. Keller
  

Non-breeding Adult - distinct line between half hood and pure white neck
 by Jack Binch   ©Jack Binch
  

1st Winter Franklin's - wing tips are black, inner primaries are gray
 by Eric Peterson   ©Eric Peterson
  
  

Franklin's Gull

Similar Species
   Laughing Gull - is larger, more slender, and has longer wings, bill and legs,  Adult doesn't have a white bar across wing tip and gray in the middle of the tail; the white primary tips are less prominent in standing Laughing Gull, and outer wing more black below.  The non-breeding head is pale, with more subtile markings and the eye crescents are not joined at the rear and are less conspicuous.  First-year Laughing's tail band is complete; the breast and flanks are gray; and inner primaries are dark.
   Bonaparte's Gull -  is smaller and has a paler mantle;  adults have a thin white wedge on the primaries; immatures have heavily patterned mantle and weak eye crescents. And Bonaparte's Gulls have much finer bill, darker but less spotted under parts, less distinct wing and tail pattern

            

Adult Laughing Gull  - has longer wings that are much darker below
and very little white in wing tips
    Photo by Mia McPherson   ©Mia McPherson
  

Adult Franklin's  - has a white wing bar between primary tips and secondaries
and has gray in the middle of the tail unlike Laughing Gull
    Photo by Margaret T. Sanchez   ©Margaret T. Sanchez
  

Adult Bonaparte's Gulls  - smaller, with lighter mantle, smaller eye crescents,
have a white wedge in the primaries, a black trailing edge to wing with a very small white border,
and more pointed wings with a black border on tips of primaries in all plumages.
    Photo by Kendall Brown   ©Kendall W. Brown
  
  
 
 

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