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A significant rarity locally, all records (to date) involve adults. Sometimes these individuals are traceable over multiple locations and months as they wander the Great Lakes. A record of a delayed second year individual from Quebec in October 2019 highlights the potential for that age class to occur. We are likely too far from the species breeding range to expect a first year individual to arrive in our region - and any potential juvenile or first winter birds should probably be scrutinized for hybrid ancestry.
First Cycle
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Second Cycle
The change from first to second cycle depends on the timing of the start of the inner primary molt. May/June is used here as an inaccurate / arbitrary cutoff.
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October
There is an interesting record of a molting second cycle bird from Quebec in Oct 2019.
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Third Cycle / Adult
Through their molt into third cycle plumage, Black-tailed Gulls obtain an "adult" plumage for the rest of their lives. To date, all local records are of adults.
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