Page 38



 GULLS and TERNS. Family LARIDÆ
Gulls are webbed footed birds having a slight hook to the end of the upper mandible. Their plumage is generally a silvery gray above and white below. They nest in large colonies, some on the islands of fresh water inland, but mostly on the sea coast. They procure their food from the surface of the water, it consisting mostly of dead fish and refuse matter, and crustacea which they gather from the waters edge. When tired they rest upon the surface of the water, where they ride the largest waves in perfect safety. Terns are birds of similar plumage to the Gulls, but their forms are less robust and the bills are generally longer and sharply pointed. Their food consists chiefly of small fish which they secure by hovering above the water, and then plunging upon them. They are less often seen on the surface of the water than are the Gulls.
CHARACTERISTIC NEST OF A LOON.
Page 39 Ivory Gull.
Kittiwake. 39. Ivory Gull. Pagophila alba. Range.--Arctic regions; south in winter to the northern border of the United States. The little Snow Gull, as it is often called, is eighteen inches in length. In the breeding season the plumage is entirely white; the bill is tipped with yellow and there is a red ring around the eye. These Gulls nest in large colonies in the Arctic Regions, placing their nests on the high rocky cliffs. The nest is made of grass, moss and rubbish, and the three eggs are laid during June. The eggs are olive color and the markings are dark brown. 40. Kittiwake. Rissa tridactyla trydactyla. Range.--North Atlantic and Arctic regions, breeding from the Gulf of the St. Lawrence northward and wintering south to the Great Lakes and Long Island. The Kittiwake is sixteen inches in length, has a pearly gray mantle, black tips to the primaries, and remainder of plumage white. Its hind toe is very small being apparently wanting in the eastern form, while in the Pacific it is more developed. These are very noisy Gulls, their notes resembling a repetition of their name. They are very common in the far north, placing nests on the ledges of high rocky cliffs, often in company with Murres and Auks. White. They gather together a pile of sticks, grass and moss, making the interior cup-shaped so as to hold their two or three eggs. Large numbers of them breed on Bird Rock, they occupying certain ledges while the Gannets and Murres, which also breed there, also have distinct ledges on which to make their homes. The breeding season is at its height during June. The eggs are buffy or brownish gray and are spotted with different shades of brown. Size 2.25 × 1.60. Data.--So. Labrador, June 15, 1884. Three eggs. Nest made of seaweed and moss, placed on ledge of cliff. Many Murres nesting on other ledges.



Page 40




 Red-legged Kittiwake.
Glaucus Gull. 40a. Pacific Kittiwake. Rissa tridactyla pollicaris. Range.--Coast of the North Pacific, wintering south to California. The Pacific Kittiwake breeds in immense rookeries on some of the islands in Bering Sea. They are well distributed over Copper Island where they nest in June and July, choosing the high ledges which overhang the sea. The nesting habits and eggs are precisely the same as those of the common Kittiwake. 41. Red-legged Kittiwake. Rissa brevirostris. Range.--Northwestern coasts, breeding in high latitudes. Brownish buff. This Kittiwake is similar to the preceding, with the exception that the legs are bright red, the mantle is darker, and the bill is shorter. This species was found by Dr. Leonard Stejneger to be a very abundant nesting bird on islands in Bering Sea, selecting steep and inaccessible rocks and ledges on which to build its nest. Their nesting habits are precisely the same as the Pacific Kittiwake, but they most often nest in separate colonies, but can be distinguished readily when nesting together by the darker mantles when on the nest and the red legs when flying. Grass, moss and mud are used in the nest. The ground color of the eggs is buffy or brownish, and the spots are dark brown and lilac. Size 2.15 × 1.50. 42. Glaucous Gull. Larus hyperboreus. Range.--Arctic regions, south in winter to Long Island, the Great Lakes, and San Francisco Bay. This Gull shares with the Great Black-backed Gull the honor of being the largest of the Gulls, being 28 inches in length. Mantle light gray; it is distinguished by its size and the primaries, which are white to the tips. A powerful bird that preys upon the smaller Gulls and also devours the young and eggs of smaller birds. They nest on the ground on the islands and shores of Hudson Bay, Greenland, etc. The nest is made of seaweed, grass and moss and is generally quite bulky. The two or three eggs are laid in June. They are of various shades of color from a light drab to a brownish, and are spotted with brownish and black. Size about 3.00 × 2.20.
Page 41 42.1. Point Barrow Gull. Larus barrovianus. Range.--Northwest coast from Bering Sea to Point Barrow. White. This species is almost identical with the Glaucus Gull, averaging perhaps a trifle smaller. Its standing as a distinct species is still questioned and has not yet been decided satisfactorily. Early in June their nests are built on remote islands in Bering Sea. These nests are the same as the last species, large piles of vegetation, hollowed on top for the reception of the eggs. The eggs have the same variations in color and markings as the Glaucus Gull. Size 3.00 × 2.10. Data.--Herschel Is., Alaska, July 1, 1900. Nest made of seaweed and grass; placed on the ground. Three eggs. Collector, Rev. I. O. Stringer. 13. Iceland Gull. Larus leucopterus. Range.--Arctic regions, south in winter to the Middle States. Greenish brown. This Gull in appearance is precisely like the two preceding ones but is considerably smaller; 24 inches in length. A very common bird in the north, breeding in colonies of thousands on many of the islands. It is regarded as one of the most common of the larger Gulls in Bering Sea and also nests commonly in Hudson Bay and Greenland, as well as in the Eastern Hemisphere. They nest indifferently on high rocky cliffs or on low sandy islands. Except when the eggs are laid in a sandy depression in the soil, quite bulky nests are made of seaweed and moss. The eggs are laid about the first of June; they number two to three and have a ground color of brownish or greenish brown and are blotched with umber. Size 2.80 × 1.83. Data.--Mackenzie Bay, Arctic America. June 18, 1899. Nest made of seaweed and grass on an island in the bay.



Page 42




 Iceland Gull.
Glaucous-winged Gull. 44. Glaucous-winged Gull. Larus glaucescens. Range.--North Pacific coast, breeding from British Columbia northwards and wintering from the same country to southern California. Pale greenish brown. This Gull is very like the preceding except that the primaries are the same color as the mantle, and are tipped with white. Length about 27 inches. Not so northerly distributed a bird as the previous ones, and consequently better known. They breed in large numbers both on the high rocky cliffs of the islands along the coast and on the low sandy islands of the Aleutian Chain. On Copper Island they breed on the inaccessible cliffs overhanging the water. As in the case of the Iceland Gull, when the nests are on the cliffs, a large nest of seaweed is made, whereas if they are on the ground, especially in sandy places no attempt is made at nest-building. The eggs have a greenish brown ground color and dark brown spots. Size 2.75 × 2.05. Data.--West Coast of Vancouver Island. June 20, 1896. Three eggs; nest made of seaweed. Located on a low ledge. Collector, Dr. Newcombe. 45. Kumlien's Gull. Larus Kumlieni. Range.--North Atlantic coast, breeding in Cumberland Sound and wintering as far south as Long Island. This bird differs from the Glaucous-winged only in the pattern of the gray markings of the primaries and in having a little lighter mantle. It is quite common in its breeding haunts where it places its nest high up on the ledges of the cliffs. The eggs are not different apparently from glaucescens. 46. Nelson's Gull. Larus nelsoni. Range.--Coast of Alaska. Plumage exactly like that of Kumlien Gull and questionably a new species. The nests and eggs are not to be distinguished from the preceding.
Page 43 47. Great- Black-Backed Gull.Larus marinus. Great Black-Backed Gull.
Kumlien's Gull. Range.--North Atlantic on both the American and European sides; breeds from Nova Scotia northward and winters south to the Great Lakes and the Middle States. Grayish buff. The largest of the Gulls (thirty inches long) and unlike any other. The mantle is dark slaty black, and the primaries are black with white tips. The bill is very large and powerful and quite strongly hooked. They are quite abundant birds in their range, and are very quarrelsome, both among themselves and other species. They do not breed in as large colonies as do the other Gulls, half a dozen pairs appropriating a small island to the exclusion of all other birds. They are very rapacious birds and live to a great extent, especially during the breeding season, upon the eggs and young of other birds such as Ducks, Murres and smaller Gulls. They place their nests upon the higher portions of sandy islands. They are made of grasses and seaweed. The three eggs are laid early in June; they are grayish or brownish, spotted with brown and lilac. Size 3.00 × 2.15. Data.--South Labrador, June 21, 1884. Three eggs. Nest on a small island off the coast; of grasses and moss. 48. Slaty-backed Gull.--Larus schistisagus. Range.--North Pacific and Arctic Oceans. This Gull, which is similar to the Great Black-backed, but is smaller and has a lighter mantle, does not breed in any considerable numbers on the American side of the Pacific. It nests in June on some of the islands in Bering Sea and probably more commonly farther north. They often nest in company with other species, placing their small mounds of seaweed on the ground on the higher parts of the islands. The full set contains three eggs of grayish or brownish color, spotted with dark brown or black. Size 2.90 × 2.00. Data.--Harrowby Bay, N. W. T. Canada, June 11, 1901. Nest of grass, roots and mud and lined with dry grass; on point making into the bay. Collector, Capt. H. H. Bodfish.




Page 44




 Western Gull.
Herring Gull. 49. Western Gull. Larus occidentalis. Range.--Pacific Coast, breeding from southern California to British Columbia. This bird, which is the most southerly distributed of the larger Gulls is twenty-four inches in length. Mantle slate colored; primaries black, both these and the secondaries being broadly tipped with white. These Gulls nest abundantly on the Farallones, the majority of them showing a preference for the lower portions of the island, although they nest on the ledges also. Besides man, these Gulls are the greatest enemies that the Murres have to content against. They are always on the watch and if a Murre leaves its nest, one of the Gulls is nearly always ready to pounce upon the egg and carry it away bodily in his bill. The Gulls too suffer when the eggers come, for their eggs are gathered up with the Murres for the markets. They make their nests of weeds and grass, and during May and June lay three eggs showing the usual variations of color common to the Gulls eggs. Size 2.75 × 1.90. 50. Siberian Gull. Larus affinis. This bird does not nest in North America, and has a place on our list, by its accidental occurrence in Greenland. It is an Old World species and its nesting habits and eggs are like those of the Herring Gull. 51. Herring Gull. Larus argentatus. Range.--Whole of the Northern Hemisphere, breeding from Maine and British Columbia northward and wintering south to the Gulf. Buff. This Gull, which formerly was No. 51a, a subspecies of the European variety, is now regarded as identical with it, and is no longer a sub-species. It is twenty-four inches in length, has a light gray mantle and black primaries which are tipped with white. The Herring Gulls nest in colonies in favorable localities throughout their range, chiefly on the coasts and islands. A few pairs also nest on islands in some of the inland bodies of fresh water. Except in places where they are continually molested, when they will build in trees, they place their nests on the ground either making no nest on the bare sand, or building a bulky nest of seaweed in the grass on higher parts of the island. They lay three eggs of a grayish color marked with brown. In rare cases unspotted bluish white eggs are found. Size 2.80 × 1.70.
Page 45 Ring-billed Gull.
California Gull. 52. Vega Gull. Larus vegae. Range.--Coast of Alaska, south in winter to California. Similar to the Herring Gull, but with the mantle darker, but not so dark as in the Western Gull. The nesting habits and eggs are the same as those of the Herring Gull, except that in a series, the eggs of the Vega will average a little darker in ground color. It nests during May on the coasts and islands of Bering Sea, placing its eggs in a hollow on the ground. Size 2.75 × 1.65. Grayish brown. 53. California Gull. Larus californicus. Range.--Western North America, breeding in the interior. A smaller Gull than the Herring with the primaries grayish instead of black; length twenty-five inches. This Gull is found in winter on the coast from British Columbia southward to Lower California, but nests in the interior from Utah northward. They nest very abundantly around the Great Salt Lake, placing their nests generally upon the bare ground. Sometimes there is a scant lining of grasses or weeds and again the nests will be situated in the midst of a tussock of grass. Three or four eggs generally constitute a set, but occasionally five are laid. The usual nesting time is during May. They show the same great variations in color and markings common to most of the Gulls. Size 2.60 × 1.80. 54. Ring-billed Gull. Larus delawarenis. Range.--Whole of North America, breeding from the United States northward and wintering south to the Gulf States. A small Gull, eighteen inches in length, with a light gray mantle, black primaries with white tips, and always to be distinguished in the breeding season by the black band around the middle of the greenish yellow bill. They nest in enormous colonies on islands in the interior of the country and in smaller colonies on the coasts. Thousands of them breed on the lakes of the Dakotas and northward. The majority of them nest on the ground, although on the coast they are often found on the cliffs. They commonly lay three eggs placing them in a slight hollow in the ground, generally on the grassy portions of the islands. The color varies from grayish to brownish, marked with brown and lilac. The height of the nesting season is in June. Size of eggs, 2.80 × 1.75.




Page 46




 Short-billed Gull.
Heerman's Gull. 55. Short-billed Gull. Larus brachyrhynchus. Range.--Breeds from the interior of British Columbia northward to Alaska; south in winter to Lower California. The Short-billed or American Mew Gull is seventeen inches in length, has a short, stout bill and is otherwise similar to the preceding species. Nests on islands in the lakes and along the river banks of Alaska. The nest is made of grass, weeds and moss and is placed on the ground. Early in June the birds lay their set of three eggs, the ground color of which is greenish brown marked with dark brown. Size 2.25 × 1.60. Data.--Mackenzie River, N. W. T., June 18, 1900. Three eggs. Nest made of seaweed and grass and placed on the ground on an island in the river. Pale greenish-brown. 56. Mew Gull. Larus canus. This is the European variety of the above species, breeding commonly both in the British Isles and northern Europe. This species is given a place in our avifauna because of its accidental appearance in Labrador. 57. Heerman's Gull. Larus heermanni. Range.--Pacific Coast of North America from British Columbia south to Panama, breeding chiefly south of the United States border. A very handsome species, often called the White-headed Gull, and wholly unlike any other; length seventeen inches. Adults, in summer, have the entire head, neck and throat white, this shading quite abruptly into the slaty upper and under parts; the primaries and tail are black, the latter and the secondaries being tipped with white. The legs and bill are vermilion. They are found off the coast of California, but are not believed to breed there. They are known to breed on some of the islands off the Mexican coast nesting on the ground the same as the other species. The three eggs are greenish drab in color and are marked with different shades of brown and lilac. Size 2.45 × 1.50.
Page 47 58. Laughing Gull. Larus atricilla. Laughing Gull. Range.--Eastern North America, breeding from the Gulf to Nova Scotia, chiefly on the coast. A beautiful Gull, 16 inches long, with a dark slate colored head, gray mantle, black primaries, and white neck, underparts and tail. Bill and feet red. Pale grayish brown. RING-BILLED GULL--Gray. This bird has its name from its peculiar laughing cry when alarmed or angry; it is also called the Black-headed Gull. They nest by thousands on the islands off the Gulf Coast and along the South Atlantic States. The nest is placed on the ground and is made of seaweed. Three, four and sometimes five eggs are laid, of a grayish to greenish brown color, marked with brown and lilac. Size 2.25 × 1.60. Data.--Timbalin Is., La., June 3, 1896. Three eggs. Nest of drift grass thrown in a pile about 8 inches high, slightly hollowed on top, in low marsh back of beach. Collector, E. A. McIlhenny.