Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 13.4 in
34 cm - Weight
- 5.5–7.5 oz
155–213 g
Other Names
- Mouette de Sabine (French)
- Gaviota de Sabine (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- Most yearling Sabine's Gulls do not attempt to breed and do not return to the breeding grounds. Their summer home is still relatively unknown.
- Although most Sabine's Gulls migrate along the coasts or at sea, some migrate directly north-south, directly across North America.
- The only member of its genus, the Sabine's Gull is like no other gull. Many of its behaviors resemble those of terns more than gulls.
Habitat
Ocean
- Nests on moist tundra ground, usually near fresh water. Feeds primarily in fresh water or on land.
- Migrates and winters primarily offshore.
Food
Insects
In breeding season eats aquatic insects. In winter eats zooplankton, crustaceans, fishes.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 1–4 eggs
- Egg Description
- Slightly pointed. Rich olive-green with darker greenish-brown, irregular markings.
- Condition at Hatching
- Chicks semi-precocial at hatching; may leave nest cup at one day old, typically stay on platform for several days. Covered in cryptically colored down.
Nest Description
Depression in vegetation, rarely with lining.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Hovering
Takes food from surface of water, usually while flying. Frequently robbed of food by jaegers, both on the breeding grounds and at sea.
Conservation
Least Concern
Not a species of concern in America because their relatively large populations breed away from human disturbance. However,their habitat makes them somewhat vulnerable to oil pollution.
Credits
- Day, R. H., I. J. Stenhouse, and H. G. Gilchrist. Sabine's Gull (Xema sabini). In The Birds of North America, No. 593 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.