Thayer's Gull

Thayer's Gull, breeding adult; Churchill, Manitoba; June

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About the map

Thayer's Gull, juvenile; Ventura, CA; December

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

The Thayer's Gull breeds in the high Arctic of Canada and winters along the northern Pacific Coast. It has become a more common winter visitor to the Great Lakes and the East Coast, but it is unknown whether increasing reports are due to increasingly eastward movement of the species or to more birders being aware of this rare gull.

Description

• Medium to large gull.
• Head and underparts white.
• Back light gray.
• Wingtips streaked black-and-white, mostly pale below.
• Bill yellow with red spot near tip of lower mandible.

• Size: 52-60 cm (20-24 in)
• Weight: 1000 g (35.3 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike, male slightly larger.

Sound

Calls are loud, clear bugling.

Conservation Status

Not endangered or threatened.

Other Names

Goéland de Thayer (French)
Gaviota de Thayer (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• Thayer's Gull appears like a pale Herring Gull or a dark Iceland Gull. It was once considered a subspecies of Herring Gull, but now is considered by many a race of Iceland Gull.

Sources used to construct this page:

Snell, R. R. 2002. Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides) and Thayer?s Gull (Larus thayeri). In The Birds of North America, No. 699 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.