Slater Museum of Natural HistorySlater Museum of Natural History

Breeding Adult Identification Chart

Identification Chart for Pacific Northwest Gulls (Breeding Adults)

White Head, White Tail

SpeciesMantleBillLegsIrisEyering
Ivorywhiteyellowish with greenish base and orange tipblackbrownred
Glaucousvery pale grayyellow with red spotpinkpale yellowyellow to yellow-orange
Icelandvery pale grayyellow with red spotpinkpale yellowred
Herringpale grayyellow with red spotpinkpale yellowyellow-orange
Thayer'spale grayyellow with red spotpinkbrown to dull yellowreddish-purple
Ring-billedpale grayyellow with black ringyellowpale yelloworange-red
Ross'spale grayblackishredbrownred
Glaucous-wingedneutral grayyellow with red spotpinkbrown to pale brownpink to purple
Californianeutral grayyellow with red and black spotsgreen to graybrownred
Mewneutral graydull yellowdull yellowbrownred
Black-legged Kittiwakeneutral grayyellowblackbrownred
Westerndark grayyellow with red spotpinkyellow to pale brownyellow-orange
Red-legged Kittiwakedark grayyellowredbrownred
Great Black-backedvery dark grayyellow with red spotpinkpale yellowred
Slaty-backedvery dark grayyellow with red spotpinkpale yellowreddish
Lesser Black-backedvery dark grayyellow with red spotyellowpale yellowred

White Head, Dark Tail

SpeciesMantleBillLegsIrisEyering
Heermann'sdark brownish-grayred with black tipblackbrownred

Dark (Black, Dark Brown, Gray) Head, White Tail

SpeciesMantleBillLegsIrisEyering
Black-headedvery pale graydark reddark redbrownmaroon-red
Bonaparte'spale grayblackorange-redbrownblack
Littlepale grayblackishreddishbrownbrown
Sabine'sneutral grayblack with yellow tipblackbrownred
Laughingdark graydark reddark redbrownred
Franklin'sdark grayredredbrownred