Glaucous Gull

Larus hyperboreusOrder: CHARADRIIFORMESFamily: Skuas, Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)
Glaucous Gull Winter Adult Portrait
  Splitbar
Range Map for Glaucous Gull

Overview

Glaucous Gull: Large, white gull with pale gray back. Eyes are yellow. Bill is yellow with red spot on lower mandible. Wings are white-edged and white tipped. Legs and feet are pink. An active predator of seabird nesting colonies. Slow, steady wing beats. Soars on thermals and updrafts.

Range and Habitat

Glaucous Gull: Breeds in Alaska and northern Canada. Spends winters along the coast south to California (rarely) and Virginia; rarely found in the Great Lakes and the Gulf coast. Preferred habitats include shores of lakes, rivers, and coast, as well as refuse dumps and sewage outflows.

Splitbar

Listen:

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Voice Text

Generally silent

Splitbar

Related Birds:

California Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Herring Gull
Iceland Gull
Thayer's Gull
.

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Family Gull (Laridae)_blue
Species Larus hyperboreus
Length26 - 30 Inches
Wingspan58 Inches

Glaucous Gull

Glaucous Gull: Large, white gull with pale gray back. Eyes are yellow. Bill is yellow with red spot on lower mandible. Wings are white-edged and white tipped. Legs and feet are pink. An active predator of seabird nesting colonies. Slow, steady wing beats. Soars on thermals and updrafts.

● Song: Generally silent

● Foraging & Feeding: Glaucous Gull: Feeds mostly on eggs and young of other birds during summer; also eats fish, invertebrates, refuse, insects, and berries. Forages by wading, plunge diving, and stealing food from other seabirds.

● Breeding & nesting: Glaucous Gull: Two to three light brown or olive eggs with dark brown blotches are laid in a cliff nest lined with moss and grass. Incubation ranges from 27 to 28 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Glaucous Gull: Glaucous-winged Gull is smaller, has gray marks on primaries, and a slight red ring around dark eyes. Iceland Gull is smaller and has pale gray primaries with translucent white tips.

Flight Pattern

Soars on thermals and updrafts., Slow steady wing beats.
Glaucous Gull Winter Adult Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Glaucous Gull: Breeds in Alaska and northern Canada. Spends winters along the coast south to California (rarely) and Virginia; rarely found in the Great Lakes and the Gulf coast. Preferred habitats include shores of lakes, rivers, and coast, as well as refuse dumps and sewage outflows.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
Population
MigrationMigratory
Weight54.4 Ounces