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Case Summary for:
Submission No 201: Franklins Gull Larus pipixcan, Margate QLD, 8th November 1994. Submitted by Dennis Gosper. Verdict: Accepted This submission details a small gull in alternate (breeding) plumage with a uniform black head cleanly cut off from a white body; a distinctive broken white marking round the eyes and dark legs and bill. The rump and tail were noted as white, with the tail appearing square cut at the tip in flight. Of particular importance was the colour of the upperwing: this was described as "smooth steel-grey" and considerably darker than Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae, with an extensive white trailing edge to the wing. Direct size comparisons were obtained with Silver Gull, the bird in question being noted as slightly smaller and less heavily built. Brief sketches detailing the primary pattern as it appeared in flight views were also provided. The bird was seen under ideal conditions over a period of about 10 minutes, with the observer carefully noting important characters from a distance estimated to be about 18 metres. While it would have been preferable to have had more information in the form of more detailed field notes or a photograph, the committee voted in favour of this record based on a combination of the following important features: Small size, darkness of grey upperparts relative to nearby silver gulls, dark hood with contrasting white eye-ring, broad white trailing edge to secondaries and the extent of black and white across the primary tips. Taken together, these characters are sufficient in the Committee's view to conclusively eliminate the very similar Laughing Gull Larus atricilla, the only serious identification contender. We note with interest that this sighting was made at almost the same locality as a Franklin’s Gull reported from Moreton Bay, Qld, 10th January 1981 - 13th March 1981 and again Scarborough, Qld, 30th March 1989 - 1st April 1989.
References and Bibliography
Tony Palliser |