Thayer's Gull

The Thayer's Gull is a large gull native to North America that breeds in the Arctic islands of Canada and primarily winters on the Pacific coast, from southern Alaska to the Gulf of California, though there are also wintering populations on the Great Lakes and the upper Mississippi River. The species has occurred a vagrant to Tamaulipas, Mexico 1, Japan 3., Denmark, and other parts of western Europe.

The Thayer's Gull is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

Thayer's Gull (Larus glaucoides), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/699b doi:10.2173/bna. More

Thayer's Gull is an Arctic breeding gull that winters regularly in MTY. Most arrive in Nov-Dec and depart in Feb-Mar; spring & summer records are few. A classic basic-plumaged adult is shown below: pale gray mantle (paler than California Gull; just a tiny bit darker than Herring Gull), heavily streaked head & neck (in basic plumage), rather short, thin bill for a largish Larus, bright pink legs, and dark eye (usually; but see right). More

Michael and I found this Thayer's Gull at West Point Lake Dam in Georgia on 11/12/04. There are no records of Thayer's Gull for GA. This is an excellent site for gulls though they can be hard to see up close. I have not birded this lake much over the years but have discovered here recently: Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, and Black-legged Kittiwake. Bonaparte's, Herring, Laughing, and Franklin's are becoming increasingly reliable at this site. More

The Iceland and the Thayer's Gulls were relocated by a few observers just after the initial observation. The Thayer's Gull was relocated a few weeks later also. The California Gull was seen by the initial observers and thought to be relocated others. Status for Georgia:California Gull (This would be the 1st state record)Thayer's Gull (2nd state record)Iceland Gull (Accidental, 2nd inland record)Glaucous Gull (Accidental inland, rare on coast) cagu1. More

The Thayer's Gull (Larus thayeri) is a large gull native to North America that breeds in the Arctic islands of Canada and primarily winters on the Pacific coast, from southern Alaska to the Gulf of California, though there are also wintering populations on the Great Lakes and the upper Mississippi River. The species has occurred a vagrant to Tamaulipas, Mexico 1, Japan 3., Denmark, and other parts of western Europe. More

The Thayer's Gull has a large range, estimated globally at 900,000 square kilometers. Native to Greenland, the United States, Canada, and Mexico, this bird prefers subtropical or tropical shrubland, grassland, or forest ecosystems. The global population of this bird has not been determined but does not show signs of decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. For this reason, the current evaluation status of Thayer's Gull is Least Concern. More

species, the Thayer's Gull in nonbreeding plumage has a pale gray mantle, with obvious blackish wingtips, and extensive brown streaking on the head and neck. The head, neck, breast, belly, and underwings are primarily white, and the legs are pink. There is a red spot on the lower mandible, and the color of the iris is generally dark. The Thayer's Gull reaches a length of 58" More

Thayer's Gull - Larus thayeriThe Thayer's Gull was once considered a slightly smaller sub-species of the Herring Gull, and is very similar. Its status is still in question, with some still considering a race of Herring Gull, and others calling it and the Iceland Gull different races of the same species. Thayer's Gulls are typically darker on the wingtips than Iceland Gulls, while Iceland Gulls may have very little darker feathering in the wingtips. More

often diffuse on Thayer's gull and pronounced on Herring Gulls. Some, but not all, Thayer's Gulls appear slightly darker mantled than Herring Gulls in a side-by-side comparison. Notice also that the legs of adult Thayer's Gulls usually appear brighter pink than most other gulls. The wing tips of Thayer's Gulls in our area are usually, but not always jet black. More eastern birds, and sometimes Thayer's in the Pacific NW, show very dark gray wing tips. Again, these are not diagnostic, but can be good clues. More

The Thayer's Gull is a medium sized, seabird that prefers cold, coastal waters. In 1915, the species was named after John E. Thayer, a prominent ornithologist. Since then, the identity of the Thayer's Gull has been controversial. Long considered a subspecies of the Herring Gull, it was reclassified in 1998 as a separate species. That classification is currently in doubt, because the Thayer's Gull is very similar to the Iceland Gull in appearance and genetics. More

The Thayer's Gull breeds in the high Arctic of Canada and winters along the northern Pacific Coast. It has become a more common winter visitor to the Great Lakes and the East Coast, but it is unknown whether increasing reports are due to increasingly eastward movement of the species or to more birders being aware of this rare gull. More

Iceland Gulls nor clear Thayer's Gulls), but birds that are typically looking more like a Thayer's 'type' with some Iceland 'types' thrown in on occasion, as well as some 'tweeners' that are probably just that. I've always noted that photos of west coast Thayer's make the birds look a lot darker than every one I've ever seen in Ky, so maybe they are ALL 'tweeners' here. More

North American RangeThe Thayer's Gull is a large gull, with typical gull-like plumage. Until 1972, it was considered a subspecies of Herring Gull, but is once again classified as a full species. The adult is solid slate-gray on its backs and wings, with black on the outer edges of the wings. The undersides of the wings are pale. The trailing edge of the wing is white, and the legs are pink. More

* Thayer's Gulls occur in small numbers or are found only in localized sites within the Great Plains. More

that Thayer's Gull is best treated as a full species rather than as a race of Iceland Gull L. glaucoides and consequently Thayer's Gull L. thayeri is now formally added to the Irish List. The reasons for the delay in the Committee's decision were outlined in previous IRBC Reports (Irish Birds 6:92-93 and 6:409). More

Thayer's Gulls, early 1st cycle (lower) with 2nd cycle (#1 of 2) Thayer's Gulls, early 1st cycle (lower) with 2nd cycle (#1 of 2) Thayer's Gull, 1st cycle Thayer's Gull, 1st cycle Thayer's Gull, 1st cycle (#2 of 3) Thayer's Gull, 1st cycle (#2 of 3) Thayer's Gull, 1st cycle (#3 of 3) Thayer's Gull, 1st cycle (#3 of 3) Thayer's Gull, 1st cycle with WEGU Thayer's Gull, 1st cycle with WEGU L-R: 1st cy More

The Thayer's Gull in Denmark by Brian Small and Martin Birch, with images contributed by Ian Boustead, Morten Bentzon Hansen and Ole Krogh The recent sighting of a first winter 'Thayer's Gull' in Denmark (January 15-16th 2002) has once again rekindled the debate as to the identification, taxonomy and occurrence of thayeri in Western Europe. This 'subject' has been discussed many times before, most particularly in excellent articles in Birding World (Volume 11 no. More

Thayer's Gull and the Surfbird are both winter residents of the Bay Area coastline. Both birds breed in the Arctic north of the 59th Parallel. They also share a thread of human connections that includes two Bay Area birders. That thread began with John Eliot Thayer (1862-1933). Thayer was the son of a Boston banker, Nathaniel Thayer. There's a building at Harvard named for the elder Thayer who also funded some expeditions by Harvard's Louis Agassiz. More