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adult Kelp Gull

The Sandgates bird. St. Mary's County, Maryland. Photo by George Armistead,copyright 1998.

Note the thick bill, red orbital ring, dull yellow legs, and nearly black mantle. St. Mary's County, Maryland. Photo by George Armistead,copyright 1998.

The Colorado bird. This one has an even thicker bill. Note the apical spots are worn off the outer primaries. P6, however, is fresh with a large apical spot. This indicates the bird is midway through primary moult in mid-Sept. This is similar to other northern hemisphere gulls, implying this bird has a northern hemisphere moult cycle. Perhaps it came to Colorado from the Gulf of Mexico? September 17, 2003. Jackson Lake State Park, Morgan County, Colorado. Photo by Steve Messick,copyright 2003.

Here's a bird from Chile. Note the black mantle and single white mirror. November 2000. Chile. Photo by Don DesJardin.