The late Claudia Wilds felt that Ring-billeds show the least amount of geographical variation of all North American gull species. Although the various populations across North America bear close resemblance, Wilds' statement should not be understood as a lack of intraspecific variation in juvenile plumages. Indeed, this is generally true with many monotypic gull species as they arguably appear to come together and show less variation as definitive adults.
With this in mind, I feel the literature has put little emphasis on what I've found to be an impressive array of aspects found in juvenile Ring-billed Gulls. Is this variation a known and accepted phenomenon or is it taken for granted?
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Juvenile Ring-billed Gulls. Both photographed in Chicago, IL on 26 July 2013. |
Two Types:
Ghost-type (1) - As the name implies, this aspect is notably pale with a strong white ground color. The underparts, head and neck tend to show limited brown washing. The scapular feathers usually show an indistinct pattern. They're often boldly edged and based with white, giving the brown centers a golden appearance. The tertials can show a considerable amount of white, especially closer to the tips and along the edges, and the primaries are more likely to show pale tips; Both of these feather groups can show an intricate pattern of dark subterminal diamonds surrounded by white notches.
Brown-type (2) - The general appearance of this type is a dark, chocolate-brown aspect. The most distinctive feature of this group is the large scapulars with solidly dark centers. The tertials are mostly plain and resemble the scapulars but are often a few shades darker. The greater coverts are more likely to show an even silver-gray throughout. The primaries are less often tipped with white compared to ghost-types. The underparts, head and neck show varying degrees of dark wash (this feature varies considerably and might be influenced by fading, wear and the onset of the first prealternate molt). Finally, I would suggest that this group is more likely to first acquire gray post-juvenile scapulars and upperwing coverts in late summer.
An important note here is that the aspects of these plumages quickly become altered shortly after the summer months due to the expected consequences of wear, bleaching and the commencement of the prealternate molt.
The patterns that I've described above are based on my own personal observations from the last four summers. A mixture of characteristics from both types is commonly found on some individuals. I should reiterate that these two types appear to be on opposite ends of a variable spectrum- a spectrum that should be thought of as a work-in-progress.