Appearance

Appearance

A very large, bulky gull, about 22–30 in (55–77 cm) long with a wingspan of 52–67 in (132–170 cm). Adults have a pale gray back, white wingtips, a heavy yellow bill, and pink legs.

Voice

A deeper version of the Herring Gull's laughing call.

Seasonal forms

Young birds are pale brown to nearly white, with a pink bill that has a sharply black tip. It takes about four years to reach adult plumage.

Look-alikes

Iceland GullLarus glaucoides

The Iceland Gull is smaller and slimmer, with a rounder head and a much smaller bill; the Glaucous Gull is bulkier with a long, heavy bill.

Why they get mixed up · Both are pale gulls with little or no black in the wingtips.

Glaucous-winged GullLarus glaucescens

Glaucous-winged Gull has gray wingtips about the same shade as its back and dark eyes; adult Glaucous Gulls have white wingtips and pale yellow eyes. Hybrids between the two are common in western Alaska and can be impossible to sort out.

Why they get mixed up · Both are big, pale gulls without black wingtips, and they share the Alaska and Pacific coasts.

American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus

Worn, faded young Herring Gulls can look pale, but they usually show darker wingtips; a young Glaucous Gull has very pale wingtips and a crisp pink bill with a black tip.

Why they get mixed up · Sun-bleached immature Herring Gulls can look almost white.

Where it lives

Typical habitats

• Coasts
• Bays and estuaries
• Large lakes
• Landfills

Range

Breeds around the Arctic, including Alaska and northern Canada. In winter many stay as far north as open water lasts, while a few move south along both US coasts and to the Great Lakes. Strays turn up inland and on the Gulf Coast.

Seasonal presence

Many stay as far north as they can find open water; farther south it is an uncommon winter visitor.

Preferred conditions

Mostly coastal, favoring bays and estuaries, but it also feeds well offshore and scavenges around towns and fishing boats.

Behavior

Diet

Eats almost anything: fish, mollusks, crabs, sea urchins, insects, eggs, other birds, berries, seaweed, and carrion. It also steals food from other birds.

Life cycle

Nest

Nests in colonies or alone on cliff tops, rocky ground, and islands in the Arctic. Both parents build a mound of grass, moss, and seaweed.

Clutch size

2–4 eggs, usually 3

Incubation

27–28 days, by both parents

Fledging

Chicks leave the nest a few days after hatching but stay nearby; they first fly at about 45–50 days.

Name and classification

About the name

Four subspecies are usually recognized. The one breeding from Alaska to northwestern Canada (L. h. barrovianus, sometimes called Point Barrow Glaucous Gull) is the smallest. An old English name for the species is "burgomaster."

Conservation

IUCN Red List

LCLeast Concern·Low risk of extinction

Culture and stories

Culture and stories

• "Glaucous" means pale bluish-gray, and the species name hyperboreus means "far northern."