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Bird name:

Mew Gull

Larus canus

Order

CHARADRIIFORMES

Family

Skuas, Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)

Code 4

MEGU

Code 6

LARCAN

ITIS

176832

Breeding Location:

Seashore, rocky or sandy, Grassland with scattered trees

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Small colonies

Breeding Population:

Stable

Egg Color:

Tan to green brown or olive buff with brown marks

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

22 - 28

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Scrape lined with grass and leaves.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Mew Gull: Medium-sized gull with gray back and upperwings, and white head, neck, breast, and belly. Bill is bright yellow. Wings have white-spotted black tips; tail is white. Feet and legs are dull yellow. Sexes are similar. Winter adult has brown wash on nape and dark ring near tip of bill. Juvenile has dark tipped bill, brown-scaled nape and wings, and black terminal tail band. 1st winter begins to show gray on back; 2nd winter resembles winter adult but has more extensive brown on head and yellow-gray legs.

Range and Habitat

Mew Gull: Breeds from Alaska east to central Mackenzie and south to northern Saskatchewan and along the coast to southern British Columbia. Spends winters on the Pacific coast and along the boreal forest belt of Eurasia. Found in and along coastal ranges, tidal estuaries, interior lakes, and marshy grasslands.

Breeding and Nesting

Mew Gull: Three tan to green brown or olive buff eggs marked with brown are laid in a grass nest built on a beach, riverbank, tree top, stump, or piling; usually nests in colonies. Incubation ranges from 22 to 28 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Mew Gull: Eats fish, marine invertebrates, insects, berries, and grains; forages by snatching food from the water surface while in flight or floating. Sometimes resorts to cannibalism of eggs and young when food is scarce.

Vocalization

Mew Gull: Emits a high mewing "kee-yer."

Similar Species

Mew Gull: Ring-billed Gull is larger, has a black ring around bill, and more black on primaries. California Gull is larger, has less white on primaries, and yellow-green legs and feet.

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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.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

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