Species: Larus glaucescens

Glaucous-winged Gull
Species
Birds
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Salish Sea-reliant birds
Salish Sea-reliant birds
Terrestrial vertebrates: birds

Articles:

Predator–prey dynamics of bald eagles and glaucous‐winged gulls

An unintended consequence of the recovery of bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) has been the impact on seabirds. The authors of a 2019 paper published in Ecology and Evolution suggest that the effects of bald eagle activity on a large glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens) colony on Protection Island in the Strait of Juan de Fuca include the possibility of coexistence but also the possibility of gull colony extinction.

Glaucous-winged gulls in flight at Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge. Photo: Peter Davis/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Daily and annual habitat use and habitat-to-habitat movement by Glaucous-winged Gulls at Protection Island, Washington

A 2017 paper in the journal Northwestern Naturalist looks at distribution patterns for Glaucous-winged Gulls across associated habitats in the Salish Sea.  

Glaucous-winged gulls. Photo courtesy of James Hayward.
A century of change in Glaucous-winged Gull populations in a dynamic coastal environment

A 2015 paper in the journal The Condor: Ornithological Applications describes century-long trends in Glaucous-winged Gull populations in British Columbia.

Beringmöwe - Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens). Photo: Von B. Walker CC-BY-2.0 http://www.fotocommunity.de/pc/pc/display/14742443
Declines in marine birds trouble scientists

Why did all the grebes leave? Where did they go? And what does their disappearance say about the health of the Salish Sea? Seasonal declines among some regional bird species could hold important clues to the overall health of the ecosystem.

Western grebe. Public Pier, Blaine, WA. Photo: Andrew Reding https://www.flickr.com/photos/seaotter/10298390254
Glaucous-winged gulls as sentinels for ecosystem change

This thesis discusses the Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens) as an indicator of ecosystem change in the Salish Sea region.

Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens). Photo courtesy of USGS.
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class

Aves

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Laridae

Genus

Larus

Natureserve Explorer
Source:
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101457
Classification
Other Global Common Names
Gaviota Ala Glauca - goéland à ailes grises
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Other Birds
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Charadriiformes - Laridae - Larus - in Kamchatka (AOU 1998).
Migration
false - false - true - Summer and winter ranges overlap Alaska-Oregon; migratory status in that area?
Non-migrant
false
Locally Migrant
false
Food Comments
Surface feeder, scavenger. Fishes, mollusks, crustaceans, garbage and carrion.
Reproduction Comments
Usually a clutch of 2-3 eggs is laid from late May into July; mean laying date is around 1st of June in western Gulf of Alaska. Incubation lasts 26-29 days. Reproductive success varies with food availability/quality (Murphy et al. 1984). Young depart nest at 40-45 days, can fly at 35-54 days, according to various reports. In Washington and British Columbia, age of first reproduction was 4-7 years in both sexes; most individuals had same mate in successive years (Reid 1988). Nests in large or small colonies; up to several thousand birds in Washington colonies (Spendelow and Patton 1988).
Ecology Comments
Washington and British Columbia: first-year survival was lowest September-November; survival rate was 61, 80, and 85% for first year, 2nd year, and adults, respectively (Reid 1988).
Length
66
Weight
1010
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
1996-11-27
Global Status Last Changed
1996-11-27
Other Status

LC - Least concern

Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.BC=S5&CA.YT=__&US.AK=S5&US.CA=__&US.HI=__&US.ID=__&US.OR=S2&US.WA=S5" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
BREEDS: coastally from Alaska and islands of St. Lawrence, Pribilofs, Aleutians south to northwestern Oregon and Commander Islands. WINTERS: southeastern Alaska south along Pacific coast to southern Baja California; in Asia, Bering Islands to Japan; fairly frequent in northwestern Hawaii; casually inland in Alberta, Idaho, western Arizona, Manitoba, and Oklahoma; regular in southern Nevada (Lake Mead); recently reported from Utah (Fischer 1988).
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101457