Glaucous-winged Gull
Larus glaucescens
Large, stocky gull of the North Pacific. Generally fairly pale and uniform-looking; at all ages, note wingtips and back are approximately the same color. Takes four years for immatures to progress from mostly brown to fully white and gray adult plumage; intermediate plumages are often mottled and messy. Most immatures look frosty grayish-brown with smooth patterning. Found in coastal areas, including beaches, mudflats, and even city parks. Identification is complicated by frequent hybridization with Western, Herring, and Glaucous Gulls in various parts of range. Pure birds can be difficult to find and identify with certainty, and many intermediate birds are best left unidentified.
Identification
This gull is a large bird, being close in size and shape to the closely related Western gull (L. occidentalis). It measures 50–68 cm (20–27 in) in length and 120–150 cm (47–59 in) in wingspan, with a body mass of 730–1,690 g (1.61–3.73 lb). It weighs around 1,010 g (2.23 lb) on average. Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 39.2 to 48 cm (15.4 to 18.9 in), the bill is 4.6 to 6.4 cm (1.8 to 2.5 in) and the tarsus is 5.8 to 7.8 cm (2.3 to 3.1 in). It has a white head, neck, breast, and belly, a white tail. The silver-gray wings and back form the mantle, which is darker than that of the Glaucous gull and paler than the Herring gull and Western Gull. The primary flight feathers (wingtips) are grey, usually the same shade as the mantle. Its legs are pink and the beak is yellow with a red subterminal spot (the spot near the end of the bill that chicks peck in order to stimulate regurgitative feeding). The irises are typically dark, and surrounded by pink orbital skin. The forehead is somewhat flat. During the winter, the head and nape is darker with a varied smudged or mottled pattern, and the bill colour becomes duller, often with dark markings near the tip. Young birds are brown or gray with black beaks, and take four years to reach adult plumage.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Larus glaucescens
- Authority
- Naumann, JF, 1840
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Laridae
- Genus
- Larus
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- PAL, NA : coastal North Pacific in e Siberia, Kamchatka, Kuril and Commander is. (e Russia); Aleutian and Pribilof is., sw Alaska mainland to n Washington
- Non-breeding range
- to Japan and California
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
The glaucous-winged gull nests in the summer, and each pair produces two or three chicks which fledge at six weeks.<p>It feeds along the coast, scavenging for dead or weak animals, fish, mussels and scraps. In urban areas it is well known for its tendency to accept food from people and peck open unprotected garbage bags in search of edibles.<p>Its call is a low-pitched "kak-kak-kak" or "wow", or a more high-pitched wailing.
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Masked Trogon
Trogon personatus
Average red-bellied trogon of subtropical forests. Male is iridescent green on breast, head, and back; female is brown. Namesake dark mask is usually obvious, especially on females. Nearly identical to Collared Trogon but very little overlap; Masked is almost always found at higher elevations. Where both are possible, look especially at tail pattern on males: large white tips on underside of tail feathers, otherwise dark with very fine white barring. On females, look for evenly barred undertail with large white tips combined with contrasting black face. Usually found singly or in pairs, perched quietly from the understory to the subcanopy. Listen for slow series of 3–6 descending whistles.
Samoan Flycatcher
Myiagra albiventris
A small flycatcher. Male is deep glossy blue-black on the back, head, and tail. Throat and chest are deep rusty red, belly clean white. Female similar, but slightly paler, with less extensive rusty coloring on the throat. Found in most open and forest edge habitats, primarily in the lowlands. Song is a quiet “see-see-see-see.” Common call is a low buzzy “bzerr-it.”
Common Reed Warbler
Acrocephalus scirpaceus
Rather plain medium-sized warbler: warm brown above with narrow pale spectacles, pale buffy below. Can be very difficult to separate from other reed warbler species. Most populations breed in reed or sedge beds, both pure and mixed with bushes, often wandering to adjacent scrub and thickets. “Mangrove” Reed Warbler is a resident in mangroves along the Red Sea. Non-breeding migratory birds may wind up in a wide range of habitats, from marshes to mangroves, to acacia scrub and cultivation. Often heard but can be hard to see: prolonged song much like Sedge Warbler but more even-paced and melodic, without rough and jerky phrases. Calls include a low “chuk” and rattled “chrrt.”
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