Iceland Gull (us-RGV)
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Contents |
Regional Information
Range, Abundance, and Seasonal Variations
Directions and Maps
General Information
Size
Length: ??cm (??in), Wingspan: ??cm (??in)
Field Marks
Very pale in all plumages, with no black in the wings or tail. It is smaller and thinner billed than the very large Glaucous Gull, and is usually smaller than Herring Gull. It takes four years to reach maturity. Fairly large gull, Bill relatively slim with indistinct gonydeal angle, Rounded head, Wingtips extend well beyond tail at rest. Adult breeding: Bright yellow bill with red spot at gonys, pink legs, light eye, white head, neck, breast, and belly, gray back and upperwings, white tertial crescent, primary tips white with gray subterminal markings, white tail. Non-breeding: Like breeding but blurry brown streaking and spotting on head and nape. Juvenile/First-year: black bill, ghostly white or pale plumage with pale brown edgings, white primaries, white secondaries, black legs quickly become pink, white tail with gray to pale brown speckling. Second-year: Pale bill with black tip, pale head, neck, upper breast, and belly, pale gray back. Third year: Like adult non-breeding but often lacks adult bill pattern.
Similar species
Glaucous Gulls are quite similar to Iceland Gulls but are larger, have larger bills, flatter heads, and, at rest, shorter wingtips that barely project beyond the end of the tail. First-winter Glaucous Gulls have pink-based, not black, bills. Herring Gulls have black wingtips as adults and much darker plumage as immatures. Thayer's Gulls are similar in size and shape but have darker wingtips and eyes as adults and darker, tail bands and flight feathers as immatures. Thayer's also has a slightly bigger bill and its wingtips do not appear as long at rest. Some individuals may not be separable in the field, as Thayer's Gull can be quite pale. Other gulls have darker mantles, wingtips, or tails.
Sounds
The call is a "laughing" cry like Herring Gull, but higher pitched.
Feeding & Behavior
omnivores like most Larus gulls, and they will scavenge as well as seeking suitable small prey. These birds forage while flying, picking up food at or just below the water's surface, also feeds while walking or swimming.
Habitat & Nesting
breeds colonially or singly on coasts and cliffs, making a lined nest on the ground or cliff. Normally, 2-3 eggs are laid.
Range
Breeds in the arctic regions of Canada and Greenland, but not Iceland, where it is only seen in the winter. It is migratory, wintering from in the North Atlantic as far south as the British Isles and northernmost states of the eastern USA. A few birds may winter on the Great Lakes. It is much scarcer in Europe than the similar Glaucous Gull.
Resources
