Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 20.5–23.6 in
52–60 cm - Weight
- 35.3 oz
1000 g
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.
Habitat
Shore-line
Breeds in coastal colonies on rocky precipices of steep cliffs from low to high Arctic, normally facing fjords or sounds, though occasionally up to several kilometers inland. Winters along shores of salt water and less often freshwater lakes and rivers.
Food
Omnivore
Fish, carrion, offal in harbors, marine invertebrates, occasionally eggs and young of other birds.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 1–4 eggs
- Egg Description
- Variable grayish brown, spotted and blotched with dark brown.
- Condition at Hatching
- Alert and mobile. Covered in cryptically colored down.
Nest Description
Shallow bowl of moss and grass, placed on narrow cliff ledge.
Nest Placement
Cliff
Behavior
Soaring
Picks food off surface of water, food typically swallowed while flying.
Conservation
Least Concern
Not endangered or threatened.
Credits
- 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.