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{{Short description|Species of bird in the genus Larus}}
{{Taxobox
{{speciesbox
| name = Iceland gull
⚫
| image = Larus glaucoides IthacaNY.jpg
⚫
| image_caption = Adult, [[Ithaca, New York|Ithaca]], NY
| status = LC
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref>{{IUCN|id=22694346 |title=''Larus glaucoides'' |assessors=[[BirdLife International]] |version=2013.2 |year=2012 |accessdate=26 November 2013}}</ref>
| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International. |year=2019 |amends=2018 |title=''Larus glaucoides'' |volume=2019 |page=e.T22729877A155595584 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22729877A155595584.en |access-date=13 April 2021}}</ref>
⚫
| genus = Larus
⚫
| image = Larus glaucoides IthacaNY.jpg
⚫
| species = glaucoides
⚫
| image_caption = Adult, [[Ithaca]], NY
⚫
| authority = [[Bernhard Meyer|Meyer, B]], 1822
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
⚫
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
⚫
| subdivision =
| classis = [[bird|Aves]]
{{Species list
| ordo = [[Charadriiformes]]
⚫
|L. g. glaucoides|Meyer, 1822
| familia = [[Laridae]]
⚫
|''[[Kumlien's gull|L. g. kumlieni]]''|Brewster, 1883
⚫
| genus = ''[[Larus]]''
|''[[Thayer's gull|L. g. thayeri]]''|Brooks, WS, 1915
⚫
| species = '''''L. glaucoides'''''
}}
| binomial = ''Larus glaucoides''
| range_map = Larus glaucoides map.svg
⚫
| binomial_authority = [[Bernhard Meyer|Meyer]], 1822
| range_map_caption = Distribution
⚫
| subdivision_ranks = [[Subspecies]]
{{leftlegend|#FF7F2A|Breeding}}{{leftlegend|#FFDD55|Migration}}{{leftlegend|#5F8DD3|Nonbreeding}}{{leftlegend|#afc6e9|Nonbreeding (scarce)}}
⚫
| subdivision =
⚫
''L. g. glaucoides'' <small>Meyer, 1822</small><br>
⚫
''[[Kumlien's gull|L. g. kumlieni]]'' <small>Brewster, 1883</small>
}}
}}
[[File:IcelandGull.jpg|thumb|Iceland gull (''Larus glaucoides''), juvenile, [[Cley Marshes]]]]
⚫
The '''Iceland gull''' (''Larus glaucoides'') is a medium size [[gull]] which breeds in the Arctic regions of [[Canada]] and [[Greenland]], but not [[Iceland]], where it is only seen in the winter. It is [[bird migration|migratory]], wintering from in the North [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] as far south as the [[British Isles]] and northernmost states of the eastern [[USA]], as well as in the interior of North America as far west as the western [[Great Lakes]]. It is much scarcer in [[Europe]] than the similar [[glaucous gull]].
[[File:20250105 iceland gull beaver brook open space PD200402.jpg|thumb|Close-up of first winter individual. Wethersfield, CT USA]]


The '''Iceland gull''' ('''''Larus glaucoides''''') is a medium-sized [[gull]] that breeds in the Arctic regions of Canada and [[Greenland]], but not in [[Iceland]] (as its name suggests), where it is only seen during winter. The genus name is from [[Latin]] ''larus'', which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific name ''glaucoides'' denotes its resemblance to ''Larus glaucus'', a [[synonym (taxonomy)|synonym]] of ''Larus hyperboreus'', the [[glaucous gull]]; ''-oides'' is [[Ancient Greek]] and means "resembling".<ref name=job>{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url= https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling | publisher= Christopher Helm | location = London | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n174 174], 219}}</ref>
The American [[taxon]] [[Kumlien's gull]] is often considered a subspecies, ''L. g. kumlieni'', of Iceland gull.


==Description==
⚫
This species breeds colonially or singly on coasts and cliffs, making a nest lined with grass, moss, or seaweed on the ground or cliff. Normally, 2–3 light brown eggs are laid.
⚫
The Iceland gull is a medium-sized gull, although relatively slender and light in weight. In length, it can measure from {{convert|50|to|64|cm|in|abbr=on}}, wingspan is from {{convert|115|to|150|cm|in|abbr=on}}, and weight is from {{convert|480|to|1100|g|lb|abbr=on}}. Among standard measurements, the [[Wing chord (biology)|wing chord]] is {{convert|37.9|to|44.3|cm|in|abbr=on}}, the [[Beak|bill]] is {{convert|3.6|to|5.4|cm|in|abbr=on}}, and the [[Tarsus (skeleton)|tarsus]] is {{convert|4.9|to|6.7|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Olsen2004/><ref name=Harrison/><ref name=CRC/> It is smaller and thinner-billed than the very large glaucous gull, and is usually smaller than the [[herring gull]]. It takes four years to reach maturity.
⚫
[[File:Larus glaucoides DrydenNY.jpg|thumb|left|Young [[Kumlien's gull]] in [[New York (state)|New York]]]]


==Call==
⚫
The nominate subspecies, ''glaucoides'', is very pale in all plumages, with absolutely no melanin in the tips of the primaries in adult plumage. Adults are pale grey above, with a yellowish-green bill. Immatures are very pale grey; the bill is more extensively dark than with glaucous gull, and lacks pink.
The call is a "laughing" cry like the [[European herring gull|herring gull]], but higher pitched.


⚫
[[File:Larus glaucoides MWNH 0322.JPG|thumb|Eggs, collection [[Museum Wiesbaden]]]]
⚫
The Iceland gull is a medium size gull, although relatively slender and light-weight. In length, it can measure from {{convert|50|to|64|cm|in|abbr=on}}, wingspan is from {{convert|115|to|150|cm|in|abbr=on}} and weight is from {{convert|480|to|1100|g|lb|abbr=on}}. Among standard measurements, the [[Wing chord (biology)|wing chord]] is {{convert|37.9|to|44.3|cm|in|abbr=on}}, the [[Beak|bill]] is {{convert|3.6|to|5.4|cm|in|abbr=on}} and the [[Tarsus (skeleton)|tarsus]] is {{convert|4.9|to|6.7|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref>''Gulls: Of North America, Europe, and Asia'' by Klaus Malling Olsen & Hans Larsson. Princeton University Press (2004). ISBN 978-0691119977.</ref><ref name="Harrison">Harrison, Peter, ''Seabirds: An Identification Guide''. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (1991), ISBN 978-0-395-60291-1</ref><ref name = "CRC">''CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses'' by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), ISBN 978-0-8493-4258-5.</ref> It is smaller and thinner billed than the very large [[glaucous gull]], and is usually smaller than the [[herring gull]]. It takes four years to reach maturity. The call is a "laughing" cry like herring gull, but higher pitched.
⚫
[[File:Larus glaucoides DrydenNY.jpg|thumb|left|Young [[Kumlien's gull]] in [[New York]]]]


==Ecology==
⚫
These are omnivores like most ''Larus'' gulls, eating fish, molluscs, offal, scraps, and eggs. These birds forage while flying, picking up food at or just below the water's surface, also feeds while walking or swimming. Their scavenging habits lead them to frequent garbage dumps, sewage outlets, and places where fish are cleaned.
⚫
It is [[bird migration|migratory]], wintering from in the North [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] as far south as the [[British Isles]] and northernmost states of the eastern United States, as well as in the interior of North America as far west as the western [[Great Lakes]]. It is much scarcer in Europe than the similar glaucous gull.
⚫
[[File:Larus glaucoides MWNH 0322.JPG|thumb|Eggs, Collection [[Museum Wiesbaden]]]]

⚫
This species breeds colonially or singly on coasts and cliffs, making a nest lined with grass, moss, or seaweed on the ground or cliff. Normally, two or three light brown eggs are laid. They breed in Canada and Greenland, but not in Iceland.

⚫
Like most ''Larus'' gulls, these are omnivores, eating fish, molluscs, offal, scraps, and eggs. They forage while flying, picking up food at or just below the water's surface, and they also feed while walking or swimming. Their scavenging habits lead them to frequent garbage dumps, sewage outlets, and places where fish are cleaned.

==Taxonomy and systematics==
The American [[taxon]] of Iceland gull by the [[American Ornithological Society]] as of 2017 considers the following as subspecies:<ref>{{cite journal| last1=Chesser | first1=R. Terry | last2=Burns | first2=Kevin J. | last3=Cicero | first3=Carla | last4=Dunn | first4=John L. | last5=Kratter | first5=Andrew W | last6=Lovette | first6=Irby J | last7=Rasmussen | first7=Pamela C. | last8=Remsen | first8=J.V. Jr | last9=Rising | first9=James D. | last10=Stotz | first10=Douglas F. | last11=Winker | first11=Kevin | year=2017 | title=Fifty-eighth supplement to the American Ornithological Society's Check-list of North American Birds |journal=The Auk |volume=134 | issue=3 |pages=751–773 |doi=10.1642/AUK-17-72.1 | doi-access=free | url=https://zenodo.org/record/1236363 }}</ref>
* [[Kumlien's gull]], ''L. g. kumlieni''
* [[Thayer's gull]], ''L. g. thayeri''

⚫
The nominate subspecies, ''L. g. glaucoides'', is very pale in all plumage, with absolutely no melanin in the tips of the primaries in adult plumage. Adults are pale grey above, with a yellowish-green bill. Immatures are very pale grey; the bill is more extensively dark than with glaucous gull, and lacks pink.


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
{{reflist}}
<ref name=CRC>{{cite book |title=CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses |editor-first=John B. Jr. |editor-last=Dunning |publisher=CRC Press |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-8493-4258-5}}</ref>
* ''Seabirds'' by Harrison, ISBN 0-7470-1410-8

* {{cite book | last = Bull | first = John | last2 = Farrand, Jr. | first2 = John | title = The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds, Eastern Region |date=April 1984 | publisher = Alfred A. Knopf | location=New York | isbn = 0-394-41405-5 }}
<ref name=Harrison>{{cite book |last1=Harrison |first1=Peter |title=Seabirds: An Identification Guide |year=1991 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |isbn=978-0-395-60291-1}}</ref>

<ref name=Olsen2004>{{cite book |last1=Olsen |first1=Klaus Malling |last2=Larsson |first2=Hans |title=Gulls of North America, Europe, and Asia |url=https://archive.org/details/gullsofnorthamer0000olse |url-access=registration |year=2004 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0691119977}}</ref>
}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Larus glaucoides}}
{{Commons category|Larus glaucoides}}
{{Wikispecies|Larus glaucoides}}
*[http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/iceland-gull-larus-glaucoides Iceland Gull videos] on the Internet Bird Collection
* {{BirdLife|22694346|Larus glaucoides}}
*[http://vireo.acnatsci.org/search.html?Form=Search&SEARCHBY=Common&KEYWORDS=iceland+gull&showwhat=images&AGE=All&SEX=All&ACT=All&Search=Search&VIEW=All&ORIENTATION=All&RESULTS=24 Iceland Gull photo gallery] VIREO
* {{Avibase|name=Larus glaucoides}}
* {{InternetBirdCollection|iceland-gull-larus-glaucoides}}
* {{VIREO|iceland+gull}}
* {{IUCN_Map|22694346|Larus glaucoides}}
* {{Xeno-canto species|Larus|glaucoides|Iceland gull}}
* {{field guide birds of the world|Larus glaucoides}}


{{Gulls}}
{{Gulls}}


{{Taxonbar|from=Q174232}}
[[Category:Larus]]

[[Category:Birds of Greenland]]
[[Category:Birds of Europe]]
[[Category:Larus|Iceland gull]]
[[Category:Native birds of Eastern Canada|Gull, Iceland]]
[[Category:Birds of the Arctic]]
[[Category:Birds of Canada|Gull, Iceland]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1822|Iceland gull]]
[[Category:Native birds of the Eastern United States|Gull, Iceland]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Bernhard Meyer]]
[[Category:Eastern North American migratory birds|Gull, Iceland]]

Latest revision as of 00:39, 9 January 2025

Iceland gull
Adult, Ithaca, NY
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Genus: Larus
Species:
L. glaucoides
Binomial name
Larus glaucoides
Meyer, B, 1822
Subspecies
Distribution
  Breeding
  Migration
  Nonbreeding
  Nonbreeding (scarce)
Iceland gull (Larus glaucoides), juvenile, Cley Marshes
Close-up of first winter individual. Wethersfield, CT USA

The Iceland gull (Larus glaucoides) is a medium-sized gull that breeds in the Arctic regions of Canada and Greenland, but not in Iceland (as its name suggests), where it is only seen during winter. The genus name is from Latin larus, which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific name glaucoides denotes its resemblance to Larus glaucus, a synonym of Larus hyperboreus, the glaucous gull; -oides is Ancient Greek and means "resembling".[2]

Description

[edit]

The Iceland gull is a medium-sized gull, although relatively slender and light in weight. In length, it can measure from 50 to 64 cm (20 to 25 in), wingspan is from 115 to 150 cm (45 to 59 in), and weight is from 480 to 1,100 g (1.06 to 2.43 lb). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 37.9 to 44.3 cm (14.9 to 17.4 in), the bill is 3.6 to 5.4 cm (1.4 to 2.1 in), and the tarsus is 4.9 to 6.7 cm (1.9 to 2.6 in).[3][4][5] It is smaller and thinner-billed than the very large glaucous gull, and is usually smaller than the herring gull. It takes four years to reach maturity.

Young Kumlien's gull in New York

Call

[edit]

The call is a "laughing" cry like the herring gull, but higher pitched.

Eggs, collection Museum Wiesbaden

Ecology

[edit]

It is migratory, wintering from in the North Atlantic as far south as the British Isles and northernmost states of the eastern United States, as well as in the interior of North America as far west as the western Great Lakes. It is much scarcer in Europe than the similar glaucous gull.

This species breeds colonially or singly on coasts and cliffs, making a nest lined with grass, moss, or seaweed on the ground or cliff. Normally, two or three light brown eggs are laid. They breed in Canada and Greenland, but not in Iceland.

Like most Larus gulls, these are omnivores, eating fish, molluscs, offal, scraps, and eggs. They forage while flying, picking up food at or just below the water's surface, and they also feed while walking or swimming. Their scavenging habits lead them to frequent garbage dumps, sewage outlets, and places where fish are cleaned.

Taxonomy and systematics

[edit]

The American taxon of Iceland gull by the American Ornithological Society as of 2017 considers the following as subspecies:[6]

The nominate subspecies, L. g. glaucoides, is very pale in all plumage, with absolutely no melanin in the tips of the primaries in adult plumage. Adults are pale grey above, with a yellowish-green bill. Immatures are very pale grey; the bill is more extensively dark than with glaucous gull, and lacks pink.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ BirdLife International. (2019) [amended version of 2018 assessment]. "Larus glaucoides". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T22729877A155595584. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22729877A155595584.en. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  2. ^ Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 174, 219. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  3. ^ Olsen, Klaus Malling; Larsson, Hans (2004). Gulls of North America, Europe, and Asia. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691119977.
  4. ^ Harrison, Peter (1991). Seabirds: An Identification Guide. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-395-60291-1.
  5. ^ Dunning, John B. Jr., ed. (1992). CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses. CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8493-4258-5.
  6. ^ Chesser, R. Terry; Burns, Kevin J.; Cicero, Carla; Dunn, John L.; Kratter, Andrew W; Lovette, Irby J; Rasmussen, Pamela C.; Remsen, J.V. Jr; Rising, James D.; Stotz, Douglas F.; Winker, Kevin (2017). "Fifty-eighth supplement to the American Ornithological Society's Check-list of North American Birds". The Auk. 134 (3): 751–773. doi:10.1642/AUK-17-72.1.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Larus glaucoides.
Wikispecies has information related to Larus glaucoides.
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