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| Domain |
Eukarya |
| Kingdom |
Animalia |
| Phylum |
Chordata |
| Subphylum, |
Vertebrata |
| Class |
Aves |
| Order |
Charadriiformes |
| Family |
Laridae |
| Genus |
Larus |
| Species |
glaucescens |
| COMMON NAME: |
Glaucous-Winged Gull |
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| Several videos on territoriality and mating behaviour |
Hatching at Race Rocks |
Video of gull feeding on day2 after hatching |
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| Incubation time in the heat. |
Eggs starting to hatch |
A scene from the video above |
Young chick. For more pictures of chicks see PB's site for July. |
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| Gull chick, photo by PB. Aug 2007 |
Not all of the eggs and chicks survive. Note kelp flies on the egg assisting with decomposition. |
Frequently we see unhatched eggs. See PB's site for August to follow the maturing chicks. |
Mortality is high at this time of year in the colony. Chicks wandering out of their territories will be killed by other adults and scavenged by crows or ravens. |
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| On September 25, 2008 the adult gulls were still in their territories. The young still return periodically to beg for feeding. |
The heads of the adults have lost their bright white color as they go into their fall moulting phase. These moult images were sent to us by Trish Holman |
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In this picture by Evan Ferrari , the young juveniles, capable of flight, still hang around for a daily feeding from their parents. |
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Larus glaucescens is omnivorous, feeding on carrion, fish, invertebrates, seaweed and food stolen from other birds. One of the main sources of food for Glaucous-winged gull are the softer bodied invertebrates exposed during the low tide time at Race Rocks. It is also typical of their behavior to take their hard shelled food, such as clams, or gastropods and drop them onto rocks to break them open for eating.
This species is the only species of gull that nests on Great Race Rock. From June to September, there could be over 150 nests on the island. The adults also overwinter at Race Rocks, but occasionally disappear from the islands for a few weeks. They start their complicated behaviours aimed at establishing territories and bonding with mates as early as February or March. Their eggs are laid in June and hatching takes place in early July. In the 2002 season, 100 birds fledged successfully, after several years of failed nesting, probably due to fish shortages in the surrounding waters.
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| Sept. 15, 2005... Almost every day now in the morning, the bald eagles make a swoop around the island . |
A fresh carcass of a juvenile is the result. |
Here Diomedes demonstrates the webbed feet of the gull |
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| This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students of Lester B. Pearson College |
Dec. 2001 |
Juan Pablo Hoffmaister |
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