Kumlieni vs. G.Glaucoides

I recently made a trip to the Glynmill Inn Pond in Corner Brook in hopes of seeing some ducks for my 2013 birding list. While I was there I observed several American Black Ducks and some Great Black-backed Gulls, but what really stole my attention was the Iceland Gull, a species that I was severely unfamiliar with.

Pictured above are just two of the many Iceland Gulls that I saw today. The specimen shown is actually—what I believe to be—the Kumlien's Gull, currently described as a subspecies of the Iceland Gull by the American Ornithologist's Union.

After quite a bit of research, I've come to recognize some of the differences between the aforementioned bird and its parent species, the Iceland Gull. However, it seems that there is still much to learn about the species as a whole.

Possible g.glaucoides in flight.

Take a look at the photo above, for instance. Due to its light eyes, pale mantle, and lack of primary coloration, I feel that the specimen photographed above should qualify as the nominate sub-species of the Iceland Gull known as Larus glaucoides glaucoides (g.glaucoides) which has been described by Wikipedia as being very pale in all plumages due to the lack of melanin in the tips of adult primary feathers.

Regardless of whether or not the above specimen can be considered a g.glaucoides, the amount of research done on the Iceland Gull in general has made this one of my most interesting encounters to date.

For more information on Iceland Gulls check out Dave Brown's birding blog here.