Kumlien's gull (''Larus glaucoides kumlieni'') is a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of the Iceland gull. It is a large

gull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, m ...

which breeds in the Arctic regions of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It is migratory, wintering from

Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

south to

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

and west across the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

. The subspecies is named after the naturalist

Ludwig Kumlien Aaron Ludwig Kumlien (March 15, 1853 – December 4, 1902) was an American ornithologist and the oldest son of Thure Kumlien. He took part in the Howgate Polar Expedition 1877-78 and collected a large number of bird specimens which led to the dis ...

. It is a regular vagrant in small numbers to Britain and Ireland. It has variably been considered a full species, a subspecies of

Thayer's gull Thayer's gull (''Larus glaucoides thayeri'') is a subspecies of the Iceland gull. It is a large gull native to North America that breeds in the Arctic islands of Canada and winters primarily on the Pacific coast, from southern Alaska to the Gulf ...

, a subspecies of Iceland gull, and a hybrid between the aforementioned species, all of which are considered subspecies of the Iceland gull as of 2017. This gull was first described as a new species ''Larus kumlieni'' by William Brewster which at the time he named it "Lesser Glaucous-winged Gull" due to its resemblance to the larger west coast species, in 1883 based on a specimen obtained by Ludwig Kumlien from the Cumberland Sound during the Howgate Arctic Expedition. This

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

breeds colonially or singly on coasts and cliffs, making a nest lined with grass, moss or seaweed on the ground or cliff. Normally, two or three light brown eggs are laid. The taxon is pale in all plumage, with a remarkably variable amount of pigment in the primaries. Individuals range from completely white-winged (indistinguishable from nominate ''L. glaucoides'' Iceland gull) to so dark in the wings as to be indistinguishable from Thayer's gull. Eye color is also variable, from pale yellow to dark brown. Such remarkable variation seems to lend credence to the belief that Kumlien's gull is in fact a

hybrid swarm A hybrid swarm is a population of hybrids that has survived beyond the initial hybrid generation, with interbreeding between hybrid individuals and backcrossing with its parent types. Such population are highly variable, with the genetic and phe ...

. Kumlien's gulls average smaller overall and much smaller-billed than the very large

glaucous gull The glaucous gull (''Larus hyperboreus'') is a large gull, the second-largest gull in the world. It breeds in Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and winters south to shores of the Holarctic. The genus name is from Latin ''larus'', which a ...

and are usually smaller than

herring gull Herring gull is a common name for several birds in the genus ''Larus'', all formerly treated as a single species. Three species are still combined in some taxonomies: * American herring gull (''Larus smithsonianus'') - North America * European he ...

. The taxon reaches adult plumage in four to five years. The call is a "laughing" cry like the herring gull's, but higher pitched. Larus-glaucoides-002

These are omnivores like most ''Larus'' gulls, and they scavenge and seek suitable small prey. These birds forage while flying, picking up food at or just below the water's surface, and feed while walking or swimming. Their scavenging habits lead them to frequent garbage dumps, sewage outlets, and places where fish are cleaned.

References

* ''Seabirds'' by Harrison, * https://academic.oup.com/auk/article/1/2/196/5292780

External links

Iceland Gull videos
on the Internet Bird Collection

VIREO {{Taxonbar, from=Q5399817

Kumlien's gull Kumlien's gull (''Larus glaucoides kumlieni'') is a subspecies of the Iceland gull. It is a large gull which breeds in the Arctic regions of Canada. It is migratory, wintering from Labrador south to New England and west across the Great Lakes. ...

Native birds of Eastern Canada