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Gulls (Laridae)

Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides) - HBW 3, p. 608

French: Goéland arctique German: Polarmöwe Spanish: Gaviota Groenlandesa
Other common names: Greenland Gull; Kumlien's Gull (kumlieni)

Taxonomy: Larus glaucoides B. Meyer, 1822, Iceland.
Formerly listed as L. leucopterus. Closely related to L. argentatus, and sometimes treated as conspecific. Form kumlieni sometimes considered a separate species, as birds with grey wingtips occur alongside those with white wingtips in Nearctic. E-W cline apparent, from pale glaucoides to slightly darker kumlieni to darker L. thayeri. Increasing tendency to lump L. thayeri with L. glaucoides refuted, as such treatment would make the species undiagnosable; yet kumlieni hybridizes with L. thayeri, and may be closer to latter t.. View all taxonomy...

Taxonomy: Larus glaucoides B. Meyer, 1822, Iceland.
Formerly listed as L. leucopterus. Closely related to L. argentatus, and sometimes treated as conspecific. Form kumlieni sometimes considered a separate species, as birds with grey wingtips occur alongside those with white wingtips in Nearctic. E-W cline apparent, from pale glaucoides to slightly darker kumlieni to darker L. thayeri. Increasing tendency to lump L. thayeri with L. glaucoides refuted, as such treatment would make the species undiagnosable; yet kumlieni hybridizes with L. thayeri, and may be closer to latter than to L. g. glaucoides. Two subspecies provsionally recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

  • kumlieni Brewster, 1883 - NE Canada, on Baffin I and NW Ungava; winters from Labrador S to E Great Lakes and Virginia.
  • glaucoides B. Meyer, 1822 - S & W Greenland; winters S to N Europe.

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