Separating Herring and Ring-billed Gulls by jizz? (1 Viewer)

[nctexasbirder]

How can you separate them by jizz when they are in flight or otherwise far away and such?

 

[AlexC]

How can you separate them by jizz when they are in flight or otherwise far away and such?

RBGs are considerably smaller in general. Smaller bill in proportion to body, and if adult, black ring (RBG) vs. red ring (HG) on bill. If sub-adult - Herrings have thicker bills. But best bet is size and the company they keep - once you find a whole bunch of gulls - even if only one is an adult - once you know the ID on the adult, you can compare that guy's size to the sub-adults and know their ID.

EDIT: Keep in mind though, we're talking RBG vs. HG. Once we get onto the west coast... well, I'm not yet ready to play that ballgame.

 

[B Lagopus]

How can you separate them by jizz when they are in flight or otherwise far away and such?

Act like a man, and look them straight in the breast. :eek!:
(that is the correct technical term)

Sleek and flat = Ring-billed.
Broad and bulging (with muscle) = Herring

With a little practice, you will find it works very well for gulls in flight.

 

[Katy Penland]

You mean, BL, if they're flying toward you or from the side?

Thanks for bringing up this question since I've always had a real problem separating these two gulls when seen flying individually -- unless I can see the "ring" on the adult RB.

 

[lou salomon]

You mean, BL, if they're flying toward you or from the side?

Thanks for bringing up this question since I've always had a real problem separating these two gulls when seen flying individually -- unless I can see the "ring" on the adult RB.

from the side, katy

RBG:

http://www.millvalleylibrary.org/mvphoto/gull.jpg
http://www.birdsoftt.com/birds_info/ring-billed gull.htm (3rd pic)

HG:

http://www.allthesea.com/img/herring-gull-01.jpg
http://www.schmoker.org/BirdPics/Photos/Gulls/HERG2.jpg

of course experience is necessary, look at them again and again. RB look more gracile, smaller headed, narrower winged in my impression.

 

[B Lagopus]

Hi Katy and Lou,

I meant from below, and just about any angle in a range from roughly coming towards you to the side. Lou is correct that it takes practice, after I read the advice (I forget where), there were quite a few gulls where I was looking to the bill for confirmation, as I was learning. These days it feels almost automatic. With practice, it can become a quite reliable jizz characteristic, for almost immediately sorting out individual gulls of the two species in flight.

 

[nctexasbirder]

thanks BL for that tip in gull jizz