Pure 3cy Mediterranean Gull?

[Ruud Altenburg]

Pictures of this bird by Martijn de Jonge, taken in a colony near Amsterdam, have been circulating a few times now with the question if this involves a pure bird or a Mediterranean x Black-headed Gull. To me this looks like an ordinary 3cy Mediterranean Gull but does anybody have pictures of proven hybrids?

[adriaens]

Any flight shots, Ruud ?

The white leading edge to the hand of Black-headed Gull seems to be a dominant trait, and usually present in hybrids - though the sample of such hybrids is very small.

Derek Charles has photos of two hybrids here:
http://www.pbase.com/derekcharles/med_x ... ded_hybrid

Nico Geiregat had one last winter, and has posted the photo on this forum already, if I remember correctly:
http://waarnemingen.be/waarneming/view/46491919

Your fellow countryman Mark Hoekstein photographed one a few weeks ago:
http://waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/47922808

Here is an English bird from January 2009:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/richandrew ... 383383549/
(two more pics can be seen by clicking the left arrow in the set)

Photos of a Swedish bird can be seen in the MeeuwNL mailinglist files, for those who are a member.

I have been sent a flight shot of a recent bird from Tienen (Vlaams-Brabant), Belgium, and I also have a flight shot of a Dutch bird (dated 7 April 2007, but I do not know the name of the photographer).
Furthermore, there is a painting of a German bird and some information in the MeeuwNL mailinglist files, as well as sketches of and info on a French bird.

A colour-ringed bird from Poland (red PEL3) is said to be a hybrid (but looks rather like a normal Black-headed Gull ?). A photo can be seen near the bottom of the following page:
http://home.scarlet.be/~pin02658/cr-MediterraGull.htm
A little more information on this bird here.

That is all I know of. If other people have more photos, please share!

[JanJ]

What about this swedish bird.

http://www.artportalen.se/birds/gallery ... geid=85604

Jan

[Hans Larsson]

With that primary pattern and leg + bill colour, the Swedish bird should be a Common x Black-headed hybrid, right? http://www.artportalen.se/artportalen/g ... geID=43252
The Amsterdam one looks like a nice Mediterranean to me

/Hans

[adriaens]

With that primary pattern and leg + bill colour, the Swedish bird should be a Common x Black-headed hybrid, right? http://www.artportalen.se/artportalen/g ... geID=43252

/Hans

Absolutely !
We have had a very similar bird in Belgium for at least 19 years now. It is quite photogenic:
http://users.skynet.be/ch-web/photos/larridXcan003.htm
http://users.skynet.be/ch-web/photos/larridXcan002.htm
http://www.natuurdigitaal.be/coppermine ... at=0&pos=1
http://waarnemingen.be/soort/photos/87973
http://waarnemingen.be/soort/photos/87973?&page=2

[Ruud Altenburg]

Thanks for the links, interesting birds!

[Hans Larsson]

Absolutely !
We have had a very similar bird in Belgium for at least 19 years now. It is quite photogenic:

Indeed!

/Hans