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The following response was recieved on 16 March 2000

I regret that the bird in question doesn't look or sound right to me for Ring-billed Gull, though, as you say, it may have Ringer in it. The size and shape of the bill are troubling. Ringer should present a noticeably bigger bill than Common Gull; in addition, the bill should swell noticeably at the tip, showing an angle at the gonys.

Ringer should also show a fair amount of leg above the knee and should appear to stride.

By comparison with Common Gull, Ringer should appear noticeably >>shorter winged<< rather than longer winged; indeed, the longer wings of Common Gull should make it appear much more graceful than Ringer. When we're searching among Ringers for Common, we look for bird with a plover-like bill and a small, dove-like head, taking small steps on shorter legs and presenting longer wings.

I would consider the tone of back and mantle unreliable. Most of the Common Gulls we see don't differ significantly in tone from Ringer.

Finally, I would use eye color with caution. I have never seen an adult Ringer with a dark eye, nor a Common Gull with a bright yellow eye, but on several occasions we've seen adult Common Gulls with pale eyes. At least one authority subscribed to this list might consider them hybrids.

Yours,

Jim Barton
redwing1986@mediaone.net
Cambridge, MA