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Larus cachinnans

Above: Adult (Essex, 16 January 2010)

P10 is still growing. In the field, it showed a complete white tip (just visible behind P9 and P8), while P7 is apparently missing. This is not a typical 'western' cachinnans (e.g. ponticus) in terms of structure, but the primary pattern seemed more indicative of Caspian than Yellow-legged Gull - with grey tongues penetrating the somewhat restricted black primary tips.

The convergence of eastern cachinnans and michahellis (in terms of bare part colour and structure, overall structure and plumage and, moreover, wing pattern) appears to be, as yet, an unresolved problem.

See also this putative 'eastern' Caspian Gull for comparison.