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Glaucous Gull

Larus hyperboreusOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Skuas, Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)
Codes: Common Name: GLGU Scientific Name: LARHYP ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176808
Least Concern
 
Glaucous Gull Winter Adult
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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.

Topo Map: Gull-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

Generally silent

Interesting Facts

 First- and second-year Glaucous Gulls appear to move farther southward than adults, and most individuals seen in the southern portion of the winter range are immatures.

 It is an active predator at seabird nesting colonies. It will walk into colonies and take eggs and chicks left unprotected, and will fly above a foraging arctic fox or person disturbing the colony and take eggs and chicks that are exposed during the disturbance.

 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

Splitbar
Range Map for Glaucous 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
Gull-like BodyX
Lower mandibleX
The lower part of the bill.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

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.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX