Thank you very much to those that have responded to the RFI on Pacific
Gulls. What a great response! I'll send it all off by snail mail to the
netherlands after the easter weekend. If anyone has any more to had, please
get it in quick.
I should have pointed out that Ted is keen to get to spots where he can see
as many juvenile, immature and adult birds as possible to get a handle on
their variation and the differences between populations
At 13:27 30/03/99 +0800, wrote:
>Pacific Gull is fairly common at Augusta, Albany and Esperance on the south
>coast but I guess that this is a different subspecies?? If they are
>different sub species, then this might explain the break in distribution
>around Perth.
For your info:
there are four disjunct populations of PG's (that's short for Pacific Gull
OK?): Bass Strait; SA (W. of Victor Harbour); s coast of WA; and w coast
of WA.
Currently 2 recognised subspecies are recognised: nominate pacificus (Bass
Strait) and ssp georgii (SA and WA). The subspecies differ mostly in tail
pattern and colour-pattern of the bill.
The northern populations on the w coast of WA differ from other populations
of georgii in having an increasing amount of melanin in the eyes of adults,
northwards (ie they have darker eyes in the north on average) and also in
the shape of the loral point (the feathering that reaches on to the base of
the upper mandible).
to look at this variation is the reason why Ted wants to visit the three
widely
separated locales.
cheers,
David James
PO BOX 5225
Townsville Mail Centre,
Qld 4810, Australia
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