Mew Gull

Larus canusOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Skuas, Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)

Codes: Common Name: MEGU Scientific Name: LARCAN ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176832

Mew Gull: The breeding adult Mew Gull has a gray back and upperwings, white head, neck, breast, and belly. The wings have white-spotted black tips and the bill, legs, and feet are yellow.

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

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. Graceful, bouyant flight. Undulating, with several rapid wingbeats and a pause.

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.

Topo Map: Gull-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"kee-yer"

Interesting Facts

The Mew Gull has an extensive breeding range, with three distinct forms that are sometimes considered different species.

Although it is a common bird along the Pacific Coast, it is a rarity in the East. Birds that appear along the Atlantic Coast are likely from Europe.

It is the only white-headed gull that regularly uses trees for nesting.

A group of gulls has many collective nouns, including a "flotilla", "gullery", "screech", "scavenging", and "squabble" of gulls.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Yury Lisyak

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.

Mew Gull

● Song: "kee-yer"

● Foraging & 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.

● Breeding & 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.

● 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.

Flight Pattern

Graceful buoyant nonlabored flight.

Mew Gull Breeding Adult Body Illustration

● Range & 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.

^BreedingMonogamous, Small colonies

^PopulationStable

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight15.2 Ounces

Gull-like Body

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.

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

Mew Gull

Related Birds

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Range and Habitat

Topo Map: Gull-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

Interesting Facts

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Artist

Mew Gull

Flight Pattern