Slaty-backed Gull - BirdForum Opus

Photo by rb stern
Thand, Nova Scotia

Larus schistisagus

Alternative Names: Kamchatka Gull, Pacific Gull.

Identification

L. 27 inches (68.5 cm)

Breeding Adult

• White head, belly, and tail
• Dark, slaty-gray back and wings
  • Broad white trailing edge

1st Calendar Year
Photo by Ayuwat J
Beppu, Oita, Japan

• Underside of wings features a "string of pearls" along the edges
  • Can be seen from below when the bird is in flight
• Yellow eyes
• Pink legs (appear shorter than similar gulls)
• Body appears stouter than similar gulls
• Yellow bill with orange-red subterminal band

Immature

Brown

Similar Species

The wings and back are slightly darker than those of the Western Gull.
Immature is similar to Great Black-backed Gull, but paler.

Distribution

It is a common coastal breeding species in northeastern Asia, wintering southward to Japan, Korea and China. Frequently wanders to the western Alaska shorelines. Now annual in northeastern North America with records in many states.

Photo by DaninJapan
Akuna, Kagoshima, Japan, January 2009

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

Habitat

Coastal areas.

Behaviour

Diet

Forager and a scavenger.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view
2. Avianweb

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Slaty-backed Gull. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Slaty-backed_Gull

External Links

Search for photos of Slaty-backed Gull in the gallery

• View more images of this species on Orientalbirdimages