Typically the Cantabrican birds show more pronounced brown markings than the Dark Atlantic form being quite heavily mottled on the secondary bar and with an obvious carpal bar and dark markings on the primary coverts. The tail may show faint remnants of the subterminal band and the mantle is a less clean grey colour showing small areas of brown. The bill is usually a bright yellow but the legs can still retain a pinky tinge, giving a rather lurid yellow-pink effect. As in adults, the Cantabrican Atlantic form has a more retarded moult than the Southern Atlantic form with third-summers typically having P4 or P5 growing and P5 or P6 missing in early August.

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