Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

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Adult

Color Photograph: U.S. Geological Survey

Immature

Color Photograph: © by and courtesy of John Cassady

Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 28 inches.

Adult: Head, neck, breast, and undersides white. Bill yellow. Back and wings light, lustrous gray without black markings. Feet pink.

Immature: Body light, slightly mottled brown. Bill pink with a black tip.

Similar Species:  The Glaucous Gull is most likely to mistaken for an Iceland Gull. The Iceland Gull is a smaller bird (24 inches in length) with a relatively narrower and shorter bill and the head is more rounded. The lighter gray back and wings and the absence of black wings tips will easily separate the Glaucous Gull from the Herring Gull. The immature Glaucous Gull can usually be identified by its pink bill with a black tip.

Breeding Range (see map below): The Glaucous Gull breeds in the far northern tundra of Canada and Alaska. The species is also found in northern Europe and Asia.

Overwintering Range:  This species overwinters along the Pacific Coast from southern Alaska to southern British Columbia. In the east overwintering individuals are found along the Atlantic Coast from Labrador in the north to New Jersey in the south. Overwintering Glaucous Gulls are also found around the Great Lakes.

Habitat: The Glaucous Gull is found along the seacoast as well as the shores of lakes and rivers. The species is also found in garbage dumps and sewage lagoons.

Food: The Glaucous Gull does scavange, but is also a predator attacking and eating other species of birds including ptarmigans, alcids, and plovers.

Behavior:  The voice consists of a series of harsh croaks and screams.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of dark brown blotched light brown eggs. The eggs are laid in a nest lined with grass and moss. The nest is usually placed on a cliff.