Bird name:

Ross's Gull

Rhodostethia rosea

Order

CHARADRIIFORMES

Family

Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)

Code 4

ROGU

Code 6

RHSROS

ITIS

176864

Breeding Location:

Coastal, sea

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Colonial

Breeding Population:

Rare

Egg Color:

Brown or green with brown spots

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Migration:

Some migrate

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

General

Ross's Gull: The pink gull of the high Arctic. Small gull with pale gray upperparts, gray-white nape, white neck with thin black collar, and white, wedge-shaped tail; underparts are variably pink. Black bill is very short; legs and feet are orange-red. Sexes are similar. Winter adult has partial collar. Juvenile has brown crown, nape, and ear spot,black and brown barred upper parts, bold black and white wing pattern, black-tipped white tail, and pink legs and feet. 1st winter has white head with dark ear spot and begins to show gray on back and wings. 1st summer resembles breeding adult but has fainter collar and some dark on wings.

Range and Habitat

Ross's Gull: East Siberia, northern Canada, Greenland. Common fall migrant along northern coast of Alaska. Accidental or casual to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, northern midwest U.S. and New England shore as far south as New Jersey. Believed to winter at sea. Only known nesting area in North America is near Churchill, Manitoba.

Breeding and Nesting

Ross's Gull: Three brown spotted brown or green eggs are laid in a scrape or saucer on a small pile of grass or a tussuck near or in water. Both parents build the nest, and line it with dry grasses, moss and leaves. Incubation ranges from 21 to 22 days and is carried out by both sexes. Semiprecocial young are fed by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Ross's Gull: Swims, wades, or dives to surface while flying. Often feeds along mudflats. Eats insects, marine crustaceans, and small fish.

Vocalization

Ross's Gull: High and melodious "ah-wo, ah-wo" and "clah, clah, clah." Sometimes soft "prrew" or "p-dew" or "kik-kik-kik-kik-kik". In confrontation "miaw, miaw."

Similar Species

Black-legged Kiitwake., Ross's Gull: Juveniles and first winter Little Gull's are smaller, with a straight, not wedge-shaped, tail.

Percevia^® Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The Percevia field guides, database and search protocol patent pending.

The best bird guide and bird watching search engine to identify birds!

Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Collar

Similar to the upper part of the human neck, located at the back of the crown.

Crown

The crown is the top part of the birds head.

Nape

Also called the hindneck or collar, it is the back of the neck where the head joins the body.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America