sbruenjes Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 I saw this bird yesterday at Sandy Hook New Jersey. I assumed a great black-backed gull, but the orange around the eye and on the beak is confusing me. Is that non-breeding coloring? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexHenry Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 That is normal. The color around the eye is a patch of bare skin called the orbital ring. The red spot on the bill is called a gonys spot. These are normal features on adult birds and in some cases can be helpful for identification. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbruenjes Posted August 27 Author Share Posted August 27 I guess what I meant to ask was.. the color seems much lighter than I'm used to seeing, especially on the beak. I'm used to seeing more of a reddish color, not that light orange like with this bird... Does this coloration indicate anything, or is it just a variation of pigmentation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexHenry Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 It doesn’t mean anything. Just related to time of year/molt status/age etc. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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