Iceland gull fact sheet

Larus glaucoides | Iceland gull

The Iceland gull can be confused with the glaucous gull, but can be distinguishid by the projection of the primary wings, as they clearly extend beyond the tail (more pointed). They are also smaller and more compact in flight. They can reach a size of 52 – 64 cm, with a weight of 820 – 1100 g and a wingspan of 125 – 145 cm. Iceland gulls can live to be 33 years old and lay 1 – 3 eggs at a time, incubating them for 28 – 30 days. Fledging occurs about 40 – 45 days after hatching. The beak of adult Iceland gulls is yellow with a light green tone and a red mark on the distal part of their lower jaw. They have pink legs and feet. In the Azores Iceland gulls can be seen in the winter, but sightings are very rare. They breed in the Arctic regions of Canada and Greenland, and outside the breeding season they can they be found wintering in the USA, UK, Iceland, Ireland, Norway and other parts of Scandinavia and north of Germany. In the summer they mainly feed in fish, marine invertebrates, bird eggs and chicks, seeds, fruit. In the winter they often seen feeding on debris, in fishing ports and dumpsters. Their population is stable but they are locally hunted in Greenland.  

In other languages
Portuguese: Gaivota polar
Spanish: gaviota groenlandesa
French: Goéland arctique/Goéland à ailes blanches
Italian: Gabbiano d’Islanda
German: Polarmöwe
Dutch: Kleine burgemeester
Swedish: Vitvingad trut
Norwegian: Grønlandsmåse
Danish: Hvidvinget måge
Finnish: Grönlanninlokki
Polish: Mewa polarna
Russian: Полярная чайка

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