Guide to Boreal Birds
Gull-like Birds Overview
This beautiful Siberian gull winters mainly above the Arctic Circle, only rarely visiting places where it can be seen by most birders. The appearance of a Ross's Gull in settled areas attracts hundreds of observers and often makes headlines in newspapers.
Description
12-14" (30-36 cm). A very rare visitor from the Arctic. Breeding adults have narrow black collar; pale gray back and wings, including underwings; pinkish tinge on underparts; and wedge-shaped tail. Winter adults lack collar and pinkish tinge. Flight graceful and tern-like.
Voice
A harsh miaw; usually silent in winter.
Nesting
2 or 3 deep olive eggs, spotted with brown, in a grass-lined depression.
Habitat
Breeds on swampy tundra; winters near pack ice. Rarely visits river mouths and coastal beaches.
Range/Migration
Breeds mainly in Old World Arctic, but a few nest in Canada. Appears as migrant off northern Alaska. Winters very rarely south to British Columbia and mid-Atlantic Coast. Also in Eurasia.