Conservation status: Amber
A medium-size gull, smaller than most herring gulls. It has a rounded head and smallish beak, giving it a dove-like expression. It has very pale plumage and white wing tips, and, like the glaucous gull, it is sometimes referred to as a 'white-winged' gull. It is a winter visitor, with small numbers of birds, usually seen singly. It breeds in the Arctic and winters as far south as New York and Britain.
Latin name
Larus glaucoides
Family
Gulls (Laridae)
Where to see them
It may be seen almost anywhere around the coast, especially in the west. Shetland in the winter can be a good place. Birds will also occasionally be seen inland at large gull roosts on reservoirs and at rubbish tips.
When to see them
Winter
What they eat
Fish - alive or as carrion.
Population
| Europe | UK breeding* | UK wintering* | UK passage* | | - | - | 210 birds | - |