Re: Common Gull Status
Phil Davis (pdavis@ix.netcom.com)
Fri, 02 Jan 1998 21:09:10 -0500
Norm -
Answers below ... Hope this helps.
Phil
At 04:05 AM 01/02/1998 -0500, Phil Davis wrote:
>> The Brits have split the Mew Gull into Mew and Common Gull. It is
>> expected that the AOU will soon follow suit.
>>
>> Technically, as of today, you would tick it off as a Mew Gull ...
>> but note the difference so when the AOU splits it, you can "claim"
>> it.
>Phil,
>
>What is the status of Common/Mew Gull in the U.S.? Are current U.S.
>records all of one species or the other, or a mixed bag? Or do we
>know?
>
I believe this is the status ...
Larus canus canus is the Common Gull
Larus canus brachyrhynchus is the Mew Gull
The AOU 6th edition reports that "some (possible most) Atlantic Coast
records are referable to the Eurpoean L. c. canus (photographs)".
The 6th edition also reports that the "Mew" Gull (L. c. brachyrhynchus)
breeds in Alaska and Canada and winters to southern California, and is
accidental to Wyoming and Colorado; a report from Florida is questionable.
Again, the BOU has split L. canus, the AOU has not yet done so.
>And in the Yellow Book I see only two records of this gull, one in
>January and one in February, in the Harford/Cecil County area.
>Again, do we know which of the two species were involved?
There is only one accepted record of the L. canus "complex" in Maryland:
L. c. canus at Conowingo Dam on Jan 22, 1994.
>I was reading about Common Gull last evening in Grant. Do you know
>offhand which of the races mentioned in that book will make up the
>Mew Gull split?
(see above)
>Thanks in advance.
>Norm
>
>===============
>Norm Saunders
>Colesville, MD
>osprey@ari.net
>
>
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Phil Davis
home: PDavis@ix.netcom.com Davidsonville, Maryland, USA
work: PDavis@OAO.com Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
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