Hi All, I think the description of a dark M on the back for a juvenile Sabine's gull makes perfect sense, and is both helpful and descriptive for newer birders. It is a common term when used in relation to Sabine's Gulls in juvenile plumage, and I see no need for a change of the lexicon.
thanks, Will On Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 3:51:04 PM UTC-6 codipper wrote: > All: > > The number of species of "small gulls with an M pattern" that are possible > in Colorado is five: Ross's, Little, Bonaparte's, and Black-headed gulls > and Black-legged Kittiwake. The "M pattern" refers to the "M" described by > the dark primaries and the stripe of dark crossing the otherwise pale > coverts to the wrist from the base of the wing. > > Sabine's Gull does NOT have an "M pattern." > > Sincerely, > > Tony Leukering > currently Fairborn, OH > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/dbd7d0b5-a445-4a4f-9bda-797d20c644fcn%40googlegroups.com.
