Kumlien's gull

Kumlien's gull

Conservation status
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Charadriiformes
Family:	Laridae
Genus:	Larus
Species:	L. glaucoides
Subspecies:	L. g. kumlieni
Trinomial name
*Larus glaucoides kumlieni* Brewster, 1883

Kumlien's gull (Larus glaucoides kumlieni) is a large gull which breeds in the Arctic regions of Canada. It is migratory, wintering from Labrador south to New England and west across the Great Lakes. The species is named after the Swedish-American naturalist Thure Kumlien. It is a regular vagrant in small numbers to Britain and Ireland.

It has variably been considered a full species, a subspecies of Thayer's gull, a subspecies of Iceland gull, and a hybrid between the aforementioned species. It is currently considered a subspecies of Iceland gull by the American Ornithologists' Union.

This taxon 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 taxon is pale in all plumages, with a remarkably variable amount of pigment in the primaries. Individuals range from completely white-winged (indistinguishable from nominate glaucoides Iceland gull) to so dark in the wings as to be indistinguishable from Thayer's gull. Eye color is also variable, from pale yellow to dark brown. Such remarkable variation seems to lend credence to the belief that Kumlien's gull is in fact a hybrid swarm.

Kumlien's gulls average smaller overall and much smaller-billed than the very large glaucous gull and are usually smaller than herring gull. The taxon reaches adult plumage in four to five years. The call is a "laughing" cry like the herring gull's, but higher pitched.

A pale-extreme first cycle Kumlien's gull photographed in Toronto, Ontario. Birds with white wingtips such as this may not be separable from nominate glaucoides.

These are omnivores like most Larus gulls, and they will scavenge as well as seeking suitable small prey. 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.

References

Seabirds by Harrison, ISBN 0-7470-1410-8
Bull, John; Farrand, Jr., John (April 1984). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds, Eastern Region. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-394-41405-5.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Larus glaucoides.

Iceland Gull videos on the Internet Bird Collection
Iceland Gull photo gallery VIREO

Gulls (family: Laridae)

Genus	Species

Larus	Pacific gull Belcher's gull Olrog's gull Black-tailed gull Heermann's gull Common Gull (or Mew Gull) Ring-billed gull California gull Great black-backed gull Kelp gull (or Cape gull) Glaucous-winged gull Western gull Yellow-footed gull Glaucous gull Iceland gull Kumlien's gull Thayer's gull European herring gull Heuglin's gull American herring gull Yellow-legged gull Caspian gull Vega gull (or East Siberian gull / Mongolian gull) Armenian gull Slaty-backed gull Lesser black-backed gull

Ichthyaetus	White-eyed gull Sooty gull Great black-headed gull (or Pallas's gull) Audouin's gull Mediterranean gull Relict gull

Leucophaeus	Dolphin gull Laughing gull Franklin's gull Lava gull Grey gull

Chroicocephalus	Silver gull Red-billed gull Huahine gull Hartlaub's gull Brown-hooded gull Grey-headed gull (or Grey-hooded gull) Andean gull Black-billed gull Brown-headed gull Black-headed gull Slender-billed gull Bonaparte's gull

Saundersilarus	Saunders's gull

Hydrocoloeus	Little gull

Rhodostethia	Ross's gull

Rissa	Black-legged kittiwake Red-legged kittiwake

Pagophila	Ivory gull

Xema	Sabine's gull

Creagrus	Swallow-tailed gull

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