Belcher's Gull | |
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Conservation status | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Charadriiformes |
Family: | Laridae |
Genus: | Larus |
Species: | L. belcheri |
Binomial name | |
Larus belcheri Vigors, 1829 |
The Belcher's Gull (Larus belcheri), also known as the or Band-tailed Gull, is a gull found along the Pacific coast of South America. It formerly included the very similar Olrog's Gull as a subspecies. It is a medium-sized gull with a blackish mantle, white head and underparts, a black band in the otherwise white tail, and a yellow bill with a red and black tip. Non-breeding adults have a blackish head and a white eye-ring.
The name of this bird commemorates the British explorer Sir Edward Belcher.