rising@zoo.toronto.edu (Jim Rising) (11/20/90)
I am notoriously poor on identifying gulls, but it seems that there are some oft unstated characteristics of L.B-b. Gulls that help to separate them, at least from Gt. B-b. gulls (which are the problem here). In addition to the obvious (but not always so obvious) differences (smaller size, yellow legs) at this time of year Lessers often seem to have some "smugginess" on their heads like wintering Herrings (adult Gt. black-b have a clear white head, but 3rd? winter can have some of these non-white feathers). The back of a L. B-b often is less deeply black than G B-b, and the bill seems to be very yellow (more so than Herring? & Grt. b.b.). The bill also appears to be more gracile than that of Grt. b-b. -- Name: Jim Rising Mail: Dept. Zoology, Univ. Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A1 UUCP: uunet!attcan!utzoo!rising BITNET: rising@zoo.utoronto.ca