There were 30 people that voted on this quiz, these were the votes:
Juvenile Western Gull, 1st winter Franklin’s Gull, Elegant Tern: 1 vote (3%)
Juvenile Herring Gull, 1st winter Laughing Gull and Royal Tern: 25 votes (83%)
Juvenile Western Gull, 1st winter Franklin’s Gull, Royal Tern: 3 votes (10%)
Other answer: Clueless LOL = 1 Vote (3%)
The majority of you voted for the correct answer: Juvenile Herring Gull, 1st winter Laughing Gull and Royal Tern
Juvenile Herring Gull
The range of Herring Gulls includes Florida as a wintering location. The range of Western Gulls does not extend into to Florida, it is primarily found on the Pacific Coast and it would be a very rare visitor to Florida.
1st winter Laughing Gull
Laughing Gulls are found along the Atlantic and Gulf coast year round, Franklin’s Gulls are vagrants to the same area. A 1st Winter Franklin’s Gull would show less brown on the back and upper wings than the bird in the quiz image did and the bill would be smaller.
Royal Tern in breeding plumage
Both Royal Terns and Elegant Terns are large crested Terns. The range of the Royal Tern includes Florida as year round residents while Elegant Terns shows them only as vagrants to the East Coast but does not show them in Florida.
You all did great!
Thanks for playing, it was a fun quiz!
Mia
I love all these shots. There was so much confusion with the juvenile gulls for me that I was able to really benefit from the quiz.
Maria, it seems there is always confusion with young gulls, I have trouble here in the winter because we get so many species of varying ages but even the experts have trouble IDing them too.
I love the royal tern…not a big gull fan, just never have been. Not sure why.
Thanks Sherry!
Your photos are so awesome. I love the Royal Tern with his black crest. Hope you didn’t get toooo much snow. It is snowing here in Pagosa Country as I am posting this to you. Have a Marvelous Monday..I am off to the studio to paint a Vermillion Flycatcher from a photo I took in Wickenburg Arizona at the rest area south of town many years ago. Fun time and experimenting with water colors and pen and ink.
Syl, it continues to snow here, last I looked there was about 16 inches on the ground and there is more on the way. Hope to see you post a pic of the Vermillion on Facebook! Thanks for your comment.