A Synopsis of the Birds of North America

by John James Audubon

* Tail emarginate.

441. 1. Larus Sabini, Sabine. Fork-tailed Gull.

Plate CCLXXXV. Fig. 1, Male.

Tail of moderate length, forked; bill of moderate length, rather slender, black, with the terminal third yellow; feet black; head and upper part of neck all round blackish-grey, that colour terminated by a collar of pure black; lower neck all round, the whole lower surface, upper tail-coverts, and tail, pure white; back and wings bluish-grey, excepting a large terminal portion of the secondaries, and the tips of the primaries, which are white, the primaries themselves being black, with their shafts brownish-black.

Male, 13, 33.

Accidental as far south in winter, as New York. Rather common along the coast of Nova Scotia. Breeds in Newfoundland, and along the coasts of the Arctic Seas. Seen on the banks of Newfoundland in great numbers.

Larus Sabini, Fork-tailed Gull, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 428.

Fork-tailed Gull, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 295.

Forked-tailed Gull, Larus Sabini, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 561.

** Tail cuneate.

442. 2. Larus Rossii, Richardson. Ross's Gull.

Not figured.