Glaucous Gull

Larus hyperboreus (Gunnerus, 1767)

2009-01-16 Aktau, Caspian Sea coast	© Victoria Kovshar

Description

Glaucous Gull is very large bird closed to Pallas's Gull in size. Adult Glaucous Gulls in spring plumage are white with pale bluish-grey mantle, shoulder feathers, secondaries and bases of primaries. In winter plumage head and neck have pale grey streaks. Bill is yellow with orange-red spot on the angle of low mandible, legs are yellowish-pink. Eyes are pale-yellow, eye-ring are yellow or red. Mantle of juvenile birds is pale-brownish with cloudy buffy spots. Crown is brown-mottled. Flight feathers are greyish, tail feathers are brownish white-spotted. Underparts are grey-brownish with unclear white spots. Bill is brownish, legs are grey-pinkish. Eyes are brown. Sizes: wing 420-490 mm, tail 170-200 mm, tarsus 65-75 mm, bill 55-70 mm. Average weight: males 1650 gr, females 1580 gr.

Distribution

Individual Glaucous Gulls collected on Caspian Sea, on Irtysh river (Dolgushin, 1962a) and in Ile valley close to Chilik 30 October 1969.

Biology

Glaucous Gull is rare vagrant bird. It may be occur on coast of Caspian Sea, rivers and lakes in October – November.

References

"Птицы Казахстана" том 2. Алма-Ата, 1962.
Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999.
Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005.