Species: Xema sabini

Sabine's Gull

Species

Birds

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Salish Sea-reliant birds

Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Craniata

Class

Aves

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Laridae

Genus

Xema

NatureServe

Source:
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106341

Classification

Other Global Common Names

Gaviota Cola Hendida, Gaviota de Sabine - mouette de Sabine

Informal Taxonomy

Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Other Birds

Formal Taxonomy

Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Charadriiformes - Laridae - Xema

Ecology and Life History

Migration

false - false - true - Common migrant off west coast, uncommon along shore; very rare migrant, mostly juveniles, on east coast and in interior (National Geographic Society 1983). Migrates off Pacific coast of Costa Rica August-November and March-June (Stiles and Skutch 1989). Arrives in Greenland in June, departs August-September (Evans 1984). Arrives in Beaufort Sea area late May-early June; departs beginning mid- to late August though some may remain into late September (Johnson and Herter 1989).

Non-migrant

false

Locally Migrant

false

Food Comments

Feeds mainly on fishes, crustaceans, insects, and worms. Feeds at sea during the winter. Forages along mud flats and in tundra pools during the breeding season. Follows ships and feeds on refuse.

Reproduction Comments

Eggs are laid from mid-June to early July. Clutch size is 2-3. Incubation, by both sexes, last 20-23 days, sometimes up to 25 days. Clutch initiation dates from 14 June to 3 July on Southampton Island, Hudson Bay; hatching dates 6 to 22 July (Stenhouse et al. 2001, Abraham 1986). Nesting strongly influenced by completion of snowmelt (Stenhouse et al. 2001). Some can fly at 30 days. Usually nests in small colonies, may also nest in single pairs (Terres 1980, Abraham 1986).

Ecology Comments

Often nests in association with Arctic Terns (defensive behavior of terns may enhance reproductive success of gulls).

Length

Weight

205

Conservation Status

NatureServe Global Status Rank

Global Status Last Reviewed

1996-11-27

Global Status Last Changed

1996-11-27

Other Status

LC - Least concern

Distribution

Conservation Status Map

Global Range

BREEDS: Arctic coasts and islands from western Alaska east through arctic Canada, Greenland, Spitsbergen, and Siberia. Nonbreeders occur in summer to northern Ellesmere Island (probably breeding), central Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, central Manitoba, northern Ontario, and northeastern Quebec. NORTHERN WINTER: at sea in eastern Pacific, Panama south to central Chile; less commonly in Atlantic (primarily tropical areas); especially in upwelling areas of Humboldt Current off western South America and Benguela Current off Southwest Africa (AOU 1983, Johnson and Herter 1989).

ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106341