Ross' Gull (Rhodostethia rosea)

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

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Color Photograph: H.R. Spendelow, U.S. Geological Survey

Ross' Gull (Rhodostethia rosea)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 12 to 14 inches.

Adult: A petite, gull-like bird. Head white, with a short, stubby black bill. Head completely surrouded by a thin black line. Throat, breast, and undersides suffused with pink. Black and wings gray with rear edge of wing white. Tail white, diamond-shaped with a pointed center. Feet bright red.

Immature: Wing gray with the leading edge and apex black, the black continuing partway around the rear margin of the wing. Underside not suffused with pink. Tip of tail edged with black.

Similar Species:  The adult of Ross' Gull is easily identified by the pinkish suffusion of its underside and its bright red legs. Although the immature bears some resemblance to the immature of the Black-legged Kittiwake, the diamond shaped tail of this species will always easily identify it.

Breeding Range: Ross' Gull breeds primarily in northern Europe and Asia, although a few individuals have been found breeding in arctic coastline areas of Canada southward to the Saint Lawrence River.

Overwintering Range:  This species winters at sea, primarily around the edge of the far northern ice cap.

Habitat: Ross' Gull breeds on swampy tundra. The winter is spent on the open ocean near the edge of the pack ice of the Arctic Ocean.

Food: Small fish and planktonic invertebrates.

Behavior: This species is seen mostly at sea, soaring over the surface of the ocean near pack ice. The voice is a harsh meow.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of 2 to 3 brown-spotted dark olive eggs. The eggs are laid in a grass-lined depression.