Family Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)
Least Concern
Ross's Gull (Rhodostethia rosea)
Taxonomy
French: Mouette rosée German: Rosenmöwe Spanish: Gaviota rosada
Taxonomy:
Larus roseus
W. MacGillivray
, 1824,Melville Peninsula, Canada
.Distribution:
NE Siberia from Taymyr Peninsula E to R Kolyma; also locally in Greenland, and irregularly in N Canada. Winters mainly in Arctic. Limits of distribution very poorly known for all seasons.
Descriptive notes
29–32 cm; 120–250 g; wingspan 82–92 cm. Two-year gull. Dove-like or tern-like, with a buoyant tern-like flight, and unique combination of wedge-shaped tail... read more
Voice
Calls are higher-pitched and more melodious than those of most gulls. A short, dry, yapping call "a... read more
Habitat
Very few nesting colonies found. Breeds in boggy terrain of the upper taiga and tundra, preferring... read more
Food and feeding
Little information. On breeding grounds chiefly insectivorous; on migration and in winter, mainly marine invertebrates (plankton,... read more
Breeding
Lays in early to mid-June. Forms loose colonies of 2–10 pairs, rarely 18, in tussocks on islands in tundra or taiga pools, often with... read more
Movements
Post-breeding movement started by late July, N to Arctic Ocean, and then migrating E or W along the... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Information inadequate to assess true status. Very few breeding localities known, and none regularly monitored. Total population may... read more
Resembles Hydrocoloeus minutus in size and plumage sequence, but with very different adult plumage; morphometric analysis suggests that it is an early derivative of a primitive larid or of a hooded larid. Monotypic.