On October 27, 2007, we received from Pam Birley from Great Britain these pictures of an unidentified gull which she had just photographed using the remote camera 5 at Race Rocks.

David Allinson has helped us with the identification:” In short, the bird is not identifiable to species…most likely a hybrid gull also with partial hypermelanism (high melanism – darker than normal plumage and/or an example of some other complex colour abnormality which has caused its legs and bill to be darker (carotenism) — caused by either genetic defect, environmental factors, and/or stress during development or moult). This bird is most likely a Glaucous-winged with Western Gull genes (or a Western Gull with Glaucous-winged genes!). However, the head seems proportionately small which suggests possibility of some other lineage (Thayer’s or perhaps Herring).

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Sub-Phylum Vertebrata
Class Aves
Order Charadriiformes
Family Laridae
Genus Larus
Species spp.? (hybrid)
Common Name: Western Gull-type hybrid ?

Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.

Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomy and Image File

The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. October 2007-Pam Birley and David Allinson