Short-billed Gull - David French
Report

Contributor

Date

Location

Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary
St. Charles, Missouri, United States
Media from this location Illustrated Checklist
Map
Map Coordinates: 38.8719313, -90.1843917
Age
Not specified
Sex
Not specified

Observation details

VERY RARE for Missouri -- the third one ever. It is called "accidental." Birds like this have wandered a long way to get here from somewhere else -- in this case, from the West Coast. First found yesterday in Illinois, at the dam. It is a "first-winter" bird, meaning young, born last summer. The picture in the Sibley guide under Mew Gull (1st winter) is very close to what this bird looked like. The main issue is telling it from young Ring-billed Gulls, and the main points are a short, slender bill; breast and belly mottled and smudged with brown; tail all dark brown above; primaries dark brown with pale crescents at tips; and more. For more information see this list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S160124215

Technical information

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