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Glaucous-winged Gull
Larus glaucescens
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusLarus (Large White-headed Gulls)
- SpeciesLarus glaucescens (Glaucous-winged Gull)
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
25,298 Verified sightings at Vancouver
12,092 In all 10 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Glaucous-winged Gull
The glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens) is a large, white-headed gull. The genus name is from Latin Larus which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific glaucescens is Neo-Latin for "glaucous" from the Ancient Greek, glaukos, denoting the grey color of its wings.
The glaucous-winged gull is rarely found far from the ocean. It is a resident from the western coast of Alaska to the coast of Washington. These glaucous winged gulls can be found in the Puget Sound region as well. It also breeds on the northwest coast of Alaska, in the summertime and in the Russian Far East. During winter, they can be found along the coast of California, Oregon, Baja California, Baja California Sur, and Sonora. Glaucous-winged gulls are thought to live about 15 years, but some live much longer; a bird in British Columbia, for example, lived for more than 21 years, while one in the US state of Washington lived for at least 22 years, 9 months. The longevity record, though, is more than 37 years, for a bird banded as a chick in British Columbia.
It is an exceptionally rare vagrant to the Western Palearctic region, with records from Morocco, the Canary... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Glaucous-winged Gull in Vancouver
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Katmai National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Kenai Fjords National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 10 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Cities Where Found
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Tokyo | 🇯🇵 Japan |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Woodland Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Closest Relatives at Vancouver
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Glaucous-winged Gull in Vancouver?
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Glaucous-winged Gull sighting in Vancouver on a given day, based on 25,298 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 9th most-seen of the 252 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Glaucous-winged Gull in Vancouver?
November to February
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Glaucous-winged Gull in Vancouver on a given day, against about 50% in May to July, the lowest months. Those are among Vancouver's wettest months, with about 170 mm of rain a month against 25 mm in July.
What time of day is best to see a Glaucous-winged Gull?
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Glaucous-winged Gull sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Vancouver the best place to see a Glaucous-winged Gull?
Yes
Of the 10 cities where we can rate Glaucous-winged Gull sightings, Vancouver has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Seattle (United States, about 40%) and Anchorage (United States, about 10%).
Which relatives of the Glaucous-winged Gull live in Vancouver?
Same genus: Larus
The closest relatives of the Glaucous-winged Gull that you can see in Vancouver (genus Larus, Large White-headed Gulls) are Short-billed Gull (about 10%) and Ring-billed Gull (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the Glaucous-winged Gull sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Glaucous-winged Gull is recorded against all the birds logged in Vancouver (25,298 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
