- Leucophaeus scoresbii
Larus scoresbii
Identification
Size: 40-60 cm, wing 30.6-33.9 cm, wingspan 104-110 cm, weight 524 g, male generally larger in all measurements.
Adult breeding: Bill and legs red, eye pale surrounded by red ring. Head, neck, and underparts grey, black back and tops of wings with white wing tips. Underwings grey, white tail. In flight shows white trailing edge of wing especially on secondaries and inner primaries. Non-breeding differs in having dark hood.
Immature: First year with brownish hood, grey neck and upper breast, with rest of underparts and rump white. Black band on white tail. Legs paler reddish than adult, bill pale pink or flesh with dark tip. Second year like adult but with dark hood in summer, bill less bright red, and often with brownish areas on the wing.
Distribution
This handsome small gull is quite common in coastal regions of Southern Chile, Southern Argentina, and the Falkland Islands.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species, which is sometimes placed in genus Larus.1,2
Habitat
Docks, rubbish piles, mixed with other seabirds on shorelines.
Behaviour
Breeding: Early November, nest made of kelp and vegetation lined with grass, normally sheltered by boulders or grass. Lays 2-3 olive-buff or grey-green eggs, incubation 24-27 days. Chicks leave nest at 2-5 days.
References
- Dickinson EC (ed.) 2003. The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. 3rd ed. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. ISBN 9780691117010
- Gill F & Wright M. 2008. Birds of the World: Recommended English Names. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ, USA. 2006. ISBN 9780691128276 Update (2008) downloaded from http://worldbirdnames.org/names.html.
- Alvaro Jaramillo. 2003. Birds of Chile. Princeton Field Guides. ISBN 0-691-11740-3