Iceland Gull

The Iceland Gull is a medium-large, pale gull with a soft, rounded head and gentle expression that breeds in the Canadian and Greenland Arctic despite its misleading name (it does not breed in Iceland, though it can be seen there in winter). Adults have a pale gray mantle and, like the larger Glaucous Gull, white wingtips lacking obvious black.

Compared to the Glaucous Gull, the Iceland Gull is noticeably smaller and slighter, with a smaller, more delicate bill and a rounder head that give it a softer, more dove-like appearance. Legs are pink and the bill is yellow with a red spot in adults.

A well-known subspecies group, often called "Kumlien's Gull," shows variable pale gray markings in the wingtips rather than pure white, and represents a zone of intergradation with the closely related Thayer's Gull.

Key field marks

• Pale gray mantle with white (or pale gray, in Kumlien's) wingtips
• Rounded head and gentle, dark-eyed expression
• Smaller, more delicate bill than Glaucous Gull
• Pink legs
• Overall smaller, slimmer build than Glaucous Gull

Similar species

• Glaucous Gull: larger and bulkier, with a proportionately larger, heavier bill and a fiercer expression.
• Herring Gull: shows obvious black wingtips, unlike the pale wingtips of Iceland Gull.
• Thayer's Gull (now often treated as part of a complex with Iceland Gull): shows more extensive dark markings in the wingtips.

Habitat

Breeds on remote Arctic sea cliffs and rocky coastlines. In winter it favors North Atlantic coastal waters, harbors, and increasingly the Great Lakes and other large inland waterbodies.

Range and migration

Breeds in Arctic Canada and Greenland; winters along the North Atlantic coast from Atlantic Canada and New England to parts of northwestern Europe, with regular but scarce occurrences on the Great Lakes.

Behavior

Often seen loafing among flocks of larger gulls at harbors, landfills, and fishing piers, Iceland Gulls are somewhat less aggressive and dominant than the bulkier Glaucous Gull.

Voice

Calls are similar to other large gulls but generally higher-pitched and less harsh than those of the Glaucous or Herring Gull.

Feeding

Feeds on fish, marine invertebrates, carrion, and offal, often scavenging around fishing operations and harbors in winter.

Nesting and breeding

Nests on ledges of Arctic sea cliffs, usually in small, loose colonies. Clutches typically contain two to three eggs, incubated by both parents.