Thayer's gull facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Thayer's gull |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Laridae |
| Genus: | Larus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
L. g. thayeri
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| Trinomial name | |
| Larus glaucoides thayeri Brooks, WS, 1915
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Larus thayeri |
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The Thayer's gull (Larus glaucoides thayeri) is a type of gull. It is a subspecies of the Iceland gull. This large bird lives in North America. It makes its nests and raises its young on the Arctic islands of Canada. When winter comes, it flies south. Most Thayer's gulls spend winter along the Pacific coast, from southern Alaska all the way down to the Gulf of California. Some also spend winter near the Great Lakes and the upper Mississippi River. Sometimes, these gulls have even been seen far away in places like Japan and Denmark.
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What Does a Thayer's Gull Look Like?
Thayer's gulls look a bit like other gulls, such as the American herring gull and the Iceland gull.
Adult Gulls
When they are not breeding, adult Thayer's gulls have light gray feathers on their back and wings. Their wingtips are noticeably blackish. Their head and neck have brown streaks. The rest of their body, including their chest, belly, and underwings, is mostly white. Their legs are pink. They have a red spot on the lower part of their beak, and their eyes are usually dark.
In the summer, when it's time to breed, their head and neck turn completely white. Their beak becomes bright yellow, and the red spot on it gets bigger.
Young Gulls
Young Thayer's gulls are brown. They have black beaks and black legs. But as they grow up, their legs quickly change to the adult pink color.
Size and Weight
Thayer's gulls are quite large birds. They can be about 56 to 64 centimeters (22 to 25 inches) long. Their wings can spread out from 130 to 148 centimeters (51 to 58 inches) wide. They usually weigh between 720 and 1500 grams (about 1.6 to 3.3 pounds). Male gulls are a bit heavier, weighing around 1093 grams (2.4 pounds) on average. Females are slightly smaller, weighing about 900 grams (2 pounds).
Where Do Thayer's Gulls Live?
During the winter, you might see Thayer's gulls mixed in with other large gulls. They usually appear in small groups, but in some places, many of them might gather together.
In the summer, they live on the wide, open lands called tundra, found on the high Arctic islands.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Thayer's gulls build their nests using grass, moss, or lichens. The female gull usually lays three eggs. These eggs can be bluish or greenish in color. When they communicate, their voices often sound like mewing or squealing.
Naming the Thayer's Gull
Both the common name "Thayer's gull" and its scientific name honor a bird expert named John Eliot Thayer. The first part of its name is pronounced "THAY-erz."
About Their Classification
For a long time, scientists debated whether Thayer's gull was its own species or a subspecies of another gull. The American Ornithologists' Union, a group of bird experts, first thought it was a subspecies of the American herring gull. Later, they decided it was a separate species. However, after more research, in 2017, they changed their minds again. Now, the Thayer's gull is officially considered a subspecies of the Iceland gull. This means it's a specific type of Iceland gull, not a completely separate species.
