March 17, 2019 - Molting Gulls

Bird feathers get worn and they need to be replaced periodically. This process is called molting. During January and February, when we were staying on St. George Island in Florida, Laughing Gulls were molting from their duller non-breeding plumage to their crisper breeding plumage. We were there long enough to see birds in all stages of this changeover, so I decided to document the process. When we first got there, all the Laughing Gulls were in non-breeding plumage, like this one.

GullLaughingmoltsequenceApalachicola20190220

By the time we left, many of them had transitioned to their breeding plumage and this is how they looked. The most notable difference is the feathers on the bird’s head. In the first photo, there are just a few scattered black feathers on the head but in this photo, they form a solid black hood. Also note the white half-circles above and below the eye. These white eye crescents are consistently present in both plumages, but they really stand out against the black hood.

GullLaughingGeorgeIslandStatePark20190228

All these photos were taken during the last half of February. Not all birds molt at the same time so what’s fascinating is to see them showing all stages of molting during this period. Here’s one that is just starting to get a few black head feathers.

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This one is starting to show the back edge of the black hood.

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This Laughing Gull has about an equal number of black and white feathers on its head.

GullLaughingmoltsequenceApalachicola20190220

The black hood is nearly complete but there are still white feathers that haven’t been molted.

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Laughing Gulls are coastal birds, so we rarely see them in Minnesota. This one has almost completed the molting of its head feathers.

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Only a few white feathers are still on the head of this bird.

GullLaughingmoltsequenceApalachicola20190220

In the changeover to breeding plumage, the Laughing Gull’s bill and legs go from black to dark red. This bird is starting to show that change in color.

GullLaughingmoltsequenceApalachicola20190220

Here’s a gull whose head feathers have made the complete change from white to black. The hood doesn’t seem to extend far enough down the back of the neck, but I think that’s because the bird is hunched down. If it extended its neck, the hood would look more normal.

GullLaughingmoltsequenceApalachicola20190220

Here’s a confident-looking, fully molted Laughing Gull. Note that the bill is more noticeably red, but I think it might get even redder before the breeding season starts.

GullLaughingGeorgeIslandStatePark20190228