Birds

The Mew Gull: AKA the Common Gull of Eurasia

October 20, 2016 by Larry No Comments

I spent some time with fellow Audubon members on the Northern California coast last weekend where we were treated with some great views of a first winter Mew Gull (Larus canus), commonly known as the Common Gull in Eurasia. Click on photos for full sized images.

Mew Gull at Little River, CA

The Mew Gull is the smallest of the “white-headed” gulls in North America, where it was formerly known as the Short-billed Gull. Its breeding range on this continent is confined to northwestern portions, but it has a nearly circumpolar distribution, occurring across a substantial stretch of Eurasia, where it is also called the Common Gull.

Mew Gull North American Range

According to Wikipedia “the name ‘common gull’ was coined by Thomas Pennant in 1768 because he considered it the most numerous of its genus. Others assert that the name does not indicate its abundance, but that during the winter it feeds on common land, short pasture used for grazing.”

Mew Gull with Western Gulls

This bird and at least one other Mew Gull were found in a mix of California Gulls, a couple of Glaucous-winged Gulls and several Western Gulls (Larus occidentalis). A few Heermann’s Gulls flew in later.

Mew Gull with Western Gulls

I don’t know about you but having not spent too much time birding on the coast, I have a heck of a time identifying gulls. Maybe because there are 27 species, some of which take four years to attain adulthood and then some of the larger gulls cross breed! Really?

Here are a couple of photos showing the Mew Gull’s wings…

Mew Gull Wings U

and tail.

Mew Gull Wings U

I grabbed a series of shots while the youngster was preening.

Mew Gull First Winter

Mew Gull First Winter

Mew Gull First Winter

 If I make it up to the Canadian coast or Alaska I will most likely find a breeding adult to photograph. Then I’ll have to try to distinguish the breeding adults from one another! Here is the Mew Gull in breeding plumage from Wikipedia creative commons.

Mew Gull Breeding Plumage

Written by Larry
Larry Jordan was introduced to birding after moving to northern California where he was overwhelmed by the local wildlife, forcing him to buy his first field guide just to be able to identify all the species visiting his yard. Building birdhouses and putting up feeders brought the avian fauna even closer and he was hooked. Larry wanted to share his passion for birds and conservation and hatched The Birder's Report in September of 2007. His recent focus is on bringing the Western Burrowing Owl back to life in California where he also monitors several bluebird trails. He is a BirdLife Species Champion and contributes to several other conservation efforts, being the webmaster for Wintu Audubon Society and the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Urban Bird Foundation. He is now co-founder of a movement to create a new revenue stream for our National Wildlife Refuges with a Wildlife Conservation Pass.