Mew Gull (Larus canus), Windsor Beach State Park, Mohave County

This adult Mew Gull was found by Molly Pollock and Mark Stevenson  and photographed by Mark Stevenson at the Windsor Beach unit of Havasu State Park on 4 January 2012. It was loafing in the main parking lot with Ring-billed Gulls.

Mew Gull is a casual fall and winter visitor to Arizona with fewer than 15 accepted records.  However, an unusually large number of individuals have been reported in the state in the past few months with at least three other individuals documented to AZFO. 

The slender all yellow bill quickly separates this bird from the numerous Ring-billed Gulls.

04 January 2012, photo by Mark Stevenson

All photos are copyrighted© by photographer