Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides), Roper Lake State Park, Graham County

This Iceland Gull was found and photographed by Kelly Wright on 07 January 2019 and again on 12 and 13 January 2019

Casual in Arizona with 18 accepted records and another one pending. Majority are from the lower Colorado River Valley and if accepted by the ABC would represent the first accepted record for southeast Arizona (a published report in Monson and Phillips 1981 was not endorsed by the ABC). All Arizona records are of the recently lumped thayeri subspecies. 

Identification of immature gulls is notoriously tricky. This individual shows dark brown primaries similar to a Herring Gull. On this individual note the small, thin bill and dove like head shape. This individual is still largely in juvenile plumage with frosty scaupulars and very pale but "neat" coverts that contrast with the dark-base tertials typical of thayeri. In the flight shots it shows the pale underwing caused by the inner webs of the primaries being paler than the outer webs and a dark secondary bar.

07 January 2019, photo by Kelly Wright

12 January 2019, photo by Kelly Wright

13 January 2019, photo by Kelly Wright

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