Iceland Gull
The Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides) is a medium-sized Arctic gull known for its delicate features and striking "white-winged" appearance. Despite its name, it only visits Iceland during the winter and actually breeds on the rocky cliffs of Greenland and northeastern Canada.
Key Characteristics:
Behavior and Diet:
Distribution:
Key Characteristics:
- Appearance: Adults have a pale gray back, white underparts, and a small, rounded head that gives them a "gentle" or "dove-like" expression.
- White Wings: Unlike most gulls, the nominate subspecies has no black on its wingtips, making it appear entirely white or very pale in flight.
- Size: It is smaller and slimmer than the Herring Gull and the much larger Glaucous Gull.
- Subspecies:
- Nominate (glaucoides): The palest form, breeding in Greenland.
- Kumlien's Gull (kumlieni): Often has variable gray markings on the wingtips; commonly seen in eastern North America.
- Thayer's Gull (thayeri): Formerly considered a separate species, it has darker wingtips and is typically found along the Pacific Coast.
Behavior and Diet:
- Feeding: They are omnivorous scavengers, feeding on fish, mollusks, and marine scraps. They often frequent fishing harbors, reservoirs, and landfill sites during winter.
- Flight: They are more graceful and maneuverable fliers than Herring Gulls, often picking food from the water's surface without landing.
- Breeding: They nest in colonies on high, inaccessible cliff ledges in the Arctic.
Distribution:
- Winter Range: In winter, they migrate south to the North Atlantic coasts, including the UK, Ireland, and the northeastern United States.
- Status: Rated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, though they are a relatively scarce winter visitor in many areas.