legs are bright red, the mantle is darker, and the bill is shorter. This
species was found by Dr. Leonard Stejneger to be a very abundant nesting
bird on islands in Bering Sea, selecting steep and inaccessible rocks
and ledges on which to build its nest. Their nesting habits are
precisely the same as the Pacific Kittiwake, but they most often nest in
separate colonies, but can be distinguished readily when nesting
together by the darker mantles when on the nest and the red legs when
flying. Grass, moss and mud are used in the nest. The ground color of
the eggs is buffy or brownish, and the spots are dark brown and lilac.
Size 2.15 × 1.50.
42. GLAUCOUS GULL. _Larus hyperboreus._
Range.--Arctic regions, south in winter to Long Island, the Great Lakes,
and San Francisco Bay.
This Gull shares with the Great Black-backed Gull the honor of being the
largest of the Gulls, being 28 inches in length. Mantle light gray; it
is distinguished by its size and the primaries, which are white to the
tips. A powerful bird that preys upon the smaller Gulls and also devours
the young and eggs of smaller birds.
They nest on the ground on the islands and shores of Hudson Bay,
Greenland, etc. The nest is made of seaweed, grass and moss and is
generally quite bulky. The two or three eggs are laid in June. They are
of various shades of color from a light drab to a brownish, and are
spotted with brownish and black. Size about 3.00 × 2.20.
[Illustration 042: Brownish buff.]
[Illustration: Red-legged Kittiwake. Glaucous Gull.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 41
42.1. POINT BARROW GULL. _Larus barrovianus._
Range.--Northwest coast from Bering Sea to Point Barrow.
This species is almost identical with the Glaucus Gull, averaging
perhaps a trifle smaller. Its standing as a distinct species is still
questioned and has not yet been decided satisfactorily. Early in June
their nests are built on remote islands in Bering Sea. These nests are
the same as the last species, large piles of vegetation, hollowed on top
for the reception of the eggs. The eggs have the same variations in
color and markings as the Glaucus Gull. Size 3.00 × 2.10.
Data.--Herschel Is., Alaska, July 1, 1900. Nest made of seaweed and
grass; placed on the ground. Three eggs. Collector, Rev. I. O. Stringer.
43. ICELAND GULL. _Larus leucopterus._
Range.--Arctic regions, south in winter to the Middle States.
This Gull in appearance is precisely like the two preceding ones but is
considerably smaller; 24 inches in length. A very common bird in the
north, breeding in colonies of thousands on many of the islands. It is
regarded as one of the most common of the larger Gulls in Bering Sea and
also nests commonly in Hudson Bay and Greenland, as well as in the
Eastern Hemisphere. They nest indifferently on high rocky cliffs or on
low sandy islands. Except when the eggs are laid in a sandy depression
in the soil, quite bulky nests are made of seaweed and moss. The eggs
are laid about the first of June; they number two to three and have a
ground color of brownish or greenish brown and are blotched with umber.
Size 2.80 × 1.83. Data.--Mackenzie Bay, Arctic America. June 18, 1899.
Nest made of seaweed and grass on an island in the bay.
[Illustration: White.]
[Illustration: Greenish brown.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 42
44. GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL. _Larus glaucescens_.
Range.--North Pacific coast, breeding from British Columbia northwards
and wintering from the same country to southern California.
This Gull is very like the preceding except that the primaries are the
same color as the mantle, and are tipped with white. Length about 27
inches. Not so northerly distributed a bird as the previous ones, and
consequently better known. They breed in large numbers both on the high
rocky cliffs of the islands along the coast and on the low sandy islands
of the Aleutian Chain. On Copper Island they breed on the inaccessible
cliffs overhanging the water. As in the case of the Iceland Gull, when
the nests are on the cliffs, a large nest of seaweed is made, whereas if
they are on the ground, especially in sandy places no attempt is made at
nest-building. The eggs have a greenish brown ground color and dark
brown spots. Size 2.75 × 2.05. Data.--West Coast of Vancouver Island.
June 20, 1896. Three eggs; nest made of seaweed. Located on a low ledge.
Collector, Dr. Newcombe.
45. KUMLIEN'S GULL. _Larus Kumlieni_.
Range.--North Atlantic coast, breeding in Cumberland Sound and wintering
as far south as Long Island.
This bird differs from the Glaucous-winged only in the pattern of the
gray markings of the primaries and in having a little lighter mantle. It
is quite common in its breeding haunts where it places its nest high up
on the ledges of the cliffs. The eggs are not different apparently from
glaucescens.
46. NELSON'S GULL. _Larus nelsoni_.
Range.--Coast of Alaska.
Plumage exactly like that of Kumlien Gull and questionably a new
species. The nests and eggs are not to be distinguished from the
preceding.
[Illustration 044: Iceland Gull. Glaucous-winged Gull.]
[Illustration: Pale greenish brown.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 43
47. GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL. _Larus marinus_.
Range.--North Atlantic on both the American and European sides; breeds
from Nova Scotia northward and winters south to the Great Lakes and the
Middle States.
The largest of the Gulls (thirty inches long) and unlike any other. The
mantle is dark slaty black, and the primaries are black with white tips.
The bill is very large and powerful and quite strongly hooked. They are
quite abundant birds in their range, and are very quarrelsome, both
among themselves and other species. They do not breed in as large
colonies as do the other Gulls, half a dozen pairs appropriating a small
island to the exclusion of all other birds. They are very rapacious
birds and live to a great extent, especially during the breeding season,
upon the eggs and young of other birds such as Ducks, Murres and smaller
Gulls. They place their nests upon the higher portions of sandy islands.
They are made of grasses and seaweed. The three eggs are laid early in
June; they are grayish or brownish, spotted with brown and lilac. Size
3.00 × 2.15. Data.--South Labrador, June 21, 1884. Three eggs. Nest on a
small island off the coast; of grasses and moss.
48. SLATY-BACKED GULL.--_Larus schistisagus_.
Range.--North Pacific and Arctic Oceans.
This Gull, which is similar to the Great Black-backed, but is smaller
and has a lighter mantle, does not breed in any considerable numbers on
the American side of the Pacific. It nests in June on some of the
islands in Bering Sea and probably more commonly farther north. They
often nest in company with other species, placing their small mounds of
seaweed on the ground on the higher parts of the islands. The full set
contains three eggs of grayish or brownish color, spotted with dark
brown or black. Size 2.90 × 2.00. Data.--Harrowby Bay, N. W. T. Canada,
June 11, 1901. Nest of grass, roots and mud and lined with dry grass; on
point making into the bay. Collector, Capt. H. H. Bodfish.
[Illustration 045: Great Black-Backed Gull. Kumlien's Gull.]
[Illustration: Grayish buff.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 44
49. WESTERN GULL. _Larus occidentalis._
Range.--Pacific Coast, breeding from southern California to British
Columbia.
This bird, which is the most southerly distributed of the larger Gulls
is twenty-four inches in length. Mantle slate colored; primaries black,
both these and the secondaries being broadly tipped with white. These
Gulls nest abundantly on the Farallones, the majority of them showing a
preference for the lower portions of the island, although they nest on
the ledges also. Besides man, these Gulls are the greatest enemies that
the Murres have to content against. They are always on the watch and if
a Murre leaves its nest, one of the Gulls is nearly always ready to
pounce upon the egg and carry it away bodily in his bill. The Gulls too
suffer when the eggers come, for their eggs are gathered up with the
Murres for the markets. They make their nests of weeds and grass, and
during May and June lay three eggs showing the usual variations of color
common to the Gulls eggs. Size 2.75 × 1.90.
50. SIBERIAN GULL. _Larus affinis._
This bird does not nest in North America, and has a place on our list,
by its accidental occurrence in Greenland. It is an Old World species
and its nesting habits and eggs are like those of the Herring Gull.
51. HERRING GULL. _Larus argentatus._
Range.--Whole of the Northern Hemisphere, breeding from Maine and
British Columbia northward and wintering south to the Gulf.
This Gull, which formerly was No. 51a, a subspecies of the European
variety, is now regarded as identical with it, and is no longer a
sub-species. It is twenty-four inches in length, has a light gray mantle
and black primaries which are tipped with white. The Herring Gulls nest
in colonies in favorable localities throughout their range, chiefly on
the coasts and islands. A few pairs also nest on islands in some of the
inland bodies of fresh water. Except in places where they are
continually molested, when they will build in trees, they place their
nests on the ground either making no nest on the bare sand, or building
a bulky nest of seaweed in the grass on higher parts of the island. They
lay three eggs of a grayish color marked with brown. In rare cases
unspotted bluish white eggs are found. Size 2.80 × 1.70.
[Illustration 046: Western Gull. Herring Gull.]
[Illustration: Buff.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 45
52. VEGA GULL. _Larus vegae._
Range.--Coast of Alaska, south in winter to California.
Similar to the Herring Gull, but with the mantle darker, but not so dark
as in the Western Gull. The nesting habits and eggs are the same as
those of the Herring Gull, except that in a series, the eggs of the Vega
will average a little darker in ground color. It nests during May on the
coasts and islands of Bering Sea, placing its eggs in a hollow on the
ground. Size 2.75 × 1.65.
53. CALIFORNIA GULL. _Larus californicus._
Range.--Western North America, breeding in the interior.
A smaller Gull than the Herring with the primaries grayish instead of
black; length twenty-five inches. This Gull is found in winter on the
coast from British Columbia southward to Lower California, but nests in
the interior from Utah northward. They nest very abundantly around the
Great Salt Lake, placing their nests generally upon the bare ground.
Sometimes there is a scant lining of grasses or weeds and again the
nests will be situated in the midst of a tussock of grass. Three or four
eggs generally constitute a set, but occasionally five are laid. The
usual nesting time is during May. They show the same great variations in
color and markings common to most of the Gulls. Size 2.60 × 1.80.
54. RING-BILLED GULL. _Larus delawarenis._
Range.--Whole of North America, breeding from the United States
northward and wintering south to the Gulf States.
A small Gull, eighteen inches in length, with a light gray mantle, black
primaries with white tips, and always to be distinguished in the
breeding season by the black band around the middle of the greenish
yellow bill. They nest in enormous colonies on islands in the interior
of the country and in smaller colonies on the coasts. Thousands of them
breed on the lakes of the Dakotas and northward. The majority of them
nest on the ground, although on the coast they are often found on the
cliffs. They commonly lay three eggs placing them in a slight hollow in
the ground, generally on the grassy portions of the islands. The color
varies from grayish to brownish, marked with brown and lilac. The height
of the nesting season is in June. Size of eggs, 2.80 × 1.75.
[Illustration 047: Grayish brown.]
[Illustration: Ring-billed Gull. California Gull.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 46
55. SHORT-BILLED GULL. _Larus brachyrhynchus._
Range.--Breeds from the interior of British Columbia northward to
Alaska; south in winter to Lower California.
The Short-billed or American Mew Gull is seventeen inches in length, has
a short, stout bill and is otherwise similar to the preceding species.
Nests on islands in the lakes and along the river banks of Alaska. The
nest is made of grass, weeds and moss and is placed on the ground. Early
in June the birds lay their set of three eggs, the ground color of which
is greenish brown marked with dark brown. Size 2.25 × 1.60.
Data.--Mackenzie River, N. W. T., June 18, 1900. Three eggs. Nest made
of seaweed and grass and placed on the ground on an island in the river.
56. MEW GULL. _Larus canus._
This is the European variety of the above species, breeding commonly
both in the British Isles and northern Europe. This species is given a
place in our avifauna because of its accidental appearance in Labrador.
57. HEERMAN'S GULL. _Larus heermanni._
Range.--Pacific Coast of North America from British Columbia south to
Panama, breeding chiefly south of the United States border.
A very handsome species, often called the White-headed Gull, and wholly
unlike any other; length seventeen inches. Adults, in summer, have the
entire head, neck and throat white, this shading quite abruptly into the
slaty upper and under parts; the primaries and tail are black, the
latter and the secondaries being tipped with white. The legs and bill
are vermilion. They are found off the coast of California, but are not
believed to breed there. They are known to breed on some of the islands
off the Mexican coast nesting on the ground the same as the other
species. The three eggs are greenish drab in color and are marked with
different shades of brown and lilac. Size 2.45 × 1.50.
[Illustration: Pale greenish-brown.]
[Illustration: Short-billed Gull. Heerman's Gull.]
[Illustration: Left hand margin.]
Page 47
58. LAUGHING GULL. LARUS ATRICILLA.
Range.--Eastern North America, breeding from the Gulf to Nova Scotia,
chiefly on the coast. A beautiful Gull, 16 inches long, with a dark
slate colored head, gray mantle, black primaries, and white neck,
underparts and tail. Bill and feet red. This bird has its name from its
peculiar laughing cry when alarmed or angry; it is also called the
Black-headed Gull. They nest by thousands on the islands off the Gulf
Coast and along the South Atlantic States. The nest is placed on the
ground and is made of seaweed. Three, four and sometimes five eggs are
laid, of a grayish to greenish brown color, marked with brown and lilac.
Size 2.25 × 1.60. Data.--Timbalin Is., La., June 3, 1896. Three eggs.
Nest of drift grass thrown in a pile about 8 inches high, slightly
hollowed on top, in low marsh back of beach. Collector, E. A. McIlhenny.
[Illustration 049: Pale grayish brown.]
[Illustration: Laughing Gull.]
[Illustration: RING-BILLED GULL--Gray.]
[Illustration: deco.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 48
59. FRANKLIN'S GULL. _Larus franklini._
Range.--Interior North America, breeding from middle United States
northward.
Like the last but smaller and with the primaries light. Underparts rosy
in breeding season. Nests very abundantly in the marshes of Minnesota
and northward. Nest made of grasses and placed in the marsh grass barely
above the surface of the water. Eggs same color as the last but the
markings more inclined to zigzag lines. Size 2.10 × 1.40. Data.--Heron
Lake, Minn., May 26, 1885. Nest of wet sedge stalks and rubbish placed
in a bunch of standing sedge in shallow water; at least five thousand
birds in rookery. Collector, J. W. Preston.
60. BONAPARTE'S GULL. _Larus philadelphia._
Range.--Breeds in the northern parts of North America; winters from
Maine and British Columbia to the southern border of the United States.
Smaller than the last; 14 inches long. Plumage similar, but bill slender
and black. They nest in great numbers on the marshes of Manitoba and to
the northward. The nests, of sticks and grass, are placed on the higher
parts of the marsh and the usual complement of three eggs is laid during
the latter part of June. The eggs are grayish to greenish brown, marked
with dark brown and lilac. Size 1.90 × 1.30.
[Illustration 050: Grayish brown.]
[Illustration: Franklin's Gull. Bonaparte's Gull.]
[Illustration: Pale grayish brown.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 49
60.1. LITTLE GULL. _Larus minutus._
This Gull is the smallest of the family; it is a European bird, and has
accidentally strayed to our shores but a few times. Its plumage is
similar to that of the Bonaparte Gull but the bill is red. It breeds in
the marshes around the Baltic Sea, placing its nest of dead vegetation
on the highest parts of the marsh. They lay three eggs of a greenish
gray color marked with dark brown and lilac. Size 1.75 × 1.25.
61. ROSES GULL. _Rhodostethia rosea._
Range.--The Arctic regions, south in winter to Alaska, Greenland,
northern Europe and Asia.
This beautiful bird is the most rare of all the Gulls, being very
difficult to obtain because of its extreme northerly distribution. It is
in form and plumage like Bonaparte Gull, with the exceptions that the
head is white, there being a narrow black collar around the neck, the
tail is wedge shaped, and the whole under parts from the chin to the
tail are rosy in the breeding plumage. The nests and eggs remain still
undiscovered, although Nansen, in August 1896, found a supposed breeding
ground in Franz Josef Land, because of the numbers of the birds, but
found no nests.
62. SABINE'S GULL. _Xema sabinii._
Range.--Arctic regions, breeding from Alaska and Greenland and
northward, and wintering south to New England.
A handsome bird, having the slaty hood bordered behind with a black
ring, the primaries black, white tipped, and the tail slightly forked.
They breed abundantly on the marshes of northern Alaska and Greenland,
nesting the same as others of the species. The two or three eggs are
laid in June. They are greenish brown in color and are marked with dark
brown. Size 1.75 × 1.25. Data.--Hudson Bay, August 1, 1894. Eggs laid on
the ground in the moss; no nest except the hollow in the moss.
[Illustration 051: Rose Gull. Sabine Gull.]
[Illustration: Greenish brown.]
[Illustration: deco.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 50
63. GULL-BILLED TERN. _Gelochelidon nilotica._
Range.--Found in North America along the Gulf Coast and on the Atlantic
Coast north to Virginia and casually farther.
This is one of the largest of the Terns, is 14 inches long, has a short,
thick, black bill and a short slightly forked tail; the crown is black,
mantle pearly gray, white below. This species is very widely
distributed, being found in Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. They are
known locally as "Marsh Terns" where they breed in immense numbers on
some of the marshes about the Gulf, particularly in Texas. They also
breed on many of the islands along the Coast, rarely making any nest,
but laying the eggs in a hollow in the sand. They nest most abundantly
in the latter part of May, generally laying three eggs. They are of a
yellowish, grayish or greenish buff color and are spotted with brown and
lilac. Size 1.80 × 1.30. Data.--Northampton Co., Va., May 28, 1882.
Three eggs laid on a mass of seaweed on marsh above tide water.
64. CASPIAN TERN. _Sterna caspia._
Range.--Like the preceding species, this bird is nearly cosmopolitan in
its range, in North America breeding from the Gulf Coast and Texas
northward to the Arctic Regions.
This beautiful bird is the largest of the Tern family, being about 22
inches in length, with the tail forked about 1.5 inches. The bill is
large, heavy and bright red; the crest, with which this and the next
three species are adorned, is black. The mantle is pale pearl and the
under parts white. These Terns sometimes nest in large colonies and then
again only a few pairs will be found on an island. In Texas, the
breeding season commences in May, it being later in the more northern
breeding grounds. They may be regarded as largely eastern birds, as
while they are common in the interior of the country, they are rarely
found on the Pacific Coast. Two or three eggs constitute a complete set;
these are laid on the sand in a slight hollow scooped out by the birds.
They vary from gray to greenish buff, marked with brown and lilac. Size
2.60 × 1.75. Data.--Hat Island, Lake Michigan, July 1, 1896. No nest.
Two eggs in a hollow in the gravel. Fully a thousand terns nesting on
about one acre. Collector, Charles L. Cass.
[Illustration 052: Pale greenish buff.]
[Illustration: Grayish buff.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 51
65. ROYAL TERN. _Sterna maxima._
Range.--Temperate North and South America, breeding in the United States
locally from Texas and the Gulf States northward to the northern
boundary of the United States.
The Royal Terns nest in great numbers on the coasts and islands on the
South Atlantic and Gulf States and in the marshes of southern Texas.
Like the former species they lay two or three eggs in a hollow on the
bare sand. The eggs are the same size but differ in being more pointed
and having a lighter ground and with the markings more bold and
distinct. Size 2.60 × 1.70.
66. ELEGANT TERN. _Sterna elegans._
Range.--Pacific Coast of South and Central America; north to California
in summer.
A similar bird to the Royal Tern, but easily distinguished by its
smaller size, slender bill, and more graceful form. In the breeding
plumage the under parts of these Terns are tinged with rosy, which
probably first gave the birds their name. They breed on the coasts and
islands of Mexico and Central America, placing their eggs on the sand.
They are believed to lay but a single egg, like that of the Royal Tern,
but smaller. Size 2.40 × 1.40. Data.--Honduras, Central America, June 5,
1899. Single egg laid on the sandy beach.
[Illustration 053: Gull-billed Tern. Caspian Tern. Royal Tern.]
[Illustration: Grayish buff.]
[Illustration: Cream color.]
[Illustration: right hand margin.]
Page 52
67. CABOT TERN. _Sterna sandvicensis acuflavida._
Range.--A tropical species breeding regularly north to the Bahamas and
Florida; casually farther north. A beautiful bird distinguished from the
three preceding ones by its smaller size (sixteen inches) and by the
bill which is black with a yellow tip. They nest in colonies on the
shores of islands in the West Indies and Bahamas, but not to a great
extent on the United States Coast. Their two or three eggs have a creamy
ground color, and are boldly marked with brown and black. Size 2.10 ×
1.40.
68. TRUDEAU'S TERN. _Sterna trudeaui._
Range.--South America; accidentally along the coast of the United
States.
A rare and unique species with a form similar to the following, but with
the coloration entirely different. About fifteen inches in length; tail
long and deeply forked; bill yellow with a band of black about the
middle. Whole head pure white, shading into the pearly color of the
upper and under parts. A narrow band of black through the eye and over
the ear coverts. A very rare species that is supposed to breed in
southern South America. Given a place among North American birds on the
strength of a specimen seen by Audubon off Long Island.
[Illustration 054: Elegant Tern. Cabot's Tern.]
[Illustration: Cream color.]
[Illustration: left hand margin.]
Page 53
69. FORSTER'S TERN. _Sterna forsteri._
Range.--Temperate North America, breeding from Manitoba, Mass., and
California, south to the Gulf Coast and Texas.