Short-billed Gull - BirdForum Opus

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adult summer
Photo by bobsofpa
Denali National Park, Alaska, USA, July 2013

Larus brachyrhynchus

Identification

Length 38-41 cm, wingspan 100-120 cm, weight 325-495 g.
Adult plumage similar to Common Gull but with less black on wingtips, head more heavily streaked and bill with less black smudging in winter; iris mid brown, sometimes yellowish. Structure differs more, with relatively longer wings and more rounded head; bill shorter and weaker, and with less black marking in winter. Juvenile plumage markedly different, with uniform dusky brown head and underside, much broader blackish-brown tail band (no white base), and browner wings.

Distribution

Breeds in Alaska and western Canada; winters along west coast of North America from Alaska south to Baja California, rare elsewhere in North America (but recorded east to Atlantic coast).
A scarce taxon, with a population of little over 10,000 pairs^[2].

First winter
Photo by Joe Morlan
Pomponio State Beach, California, USA, 24 January 2021

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Olsen, K. M., & Larsson, H. (2003). Gulls of Europe, Asia and North America. Helm ISBN 978-0-7136-7087-5

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Short-billed Gull. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Short-billed_Gull

External Links

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