Larus glaucoides
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The Iceland gull (Larus glaucoides) is a medium-sized gull that breeds in the Arctic regions of Canada and Greenland, but not in Iceland (as its name suggests), where it is only seen during winter. The genus name is from Latin larus, which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific name glaucoides denotes its resemblance to Larus glaucus, a synonym of Larus hyperboreus, the glaucous gull; -oides is Ancient Greek and means "resembling".
The Iceland gull is a medium-sized gull, although relatively slender and light in weight. In length, it can measure from 50 to 64 cm (20 to 25 in), wingspan is from 115 to 150 cm (45 to 59 in), and weight is from 480 to 1,100 g (1.06 to 2.43 lb). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 37.9 to 44.3 cm (14.9 to 17.4 in), the bill is 3.6 to 5.4 cm (1.4 to 2.1 in), and the tarsus is 4.9 to 6.7 cm (1.9 to 2.6 in). It is smaller and thinner-billed than the very large glaucous gull, and is usually smaller than the herring gull. It takes four years to reach maturity.
The call is a "laughing" cry like the herring gull, but higher pitched. It is migratory, wintering from in the North... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vatnajokull National Park | 🇮🇸 Iceland | |
| 2 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Svalbard | 🇳🇴 Norway | |
| 9 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 11 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chimelong Spaceship | 🇨🇳 China |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Iceland Gull sighting in Redwood National Park on a given day, based on 122 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 112th most-seen of the 226 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December to March
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Iceland Gull in Redwood National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to October, the lowest months. Those are among Redwood National Park's wettest months, with about 310 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Iceland Gull sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Iceland Gull sightings, Redwood National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Vatnajokull National Park (Iceland, about 20%), Cape Breton Highlands National Park (Canada, about 10%) and Great Bear Rainforest (Canada, about 10%).
Same genus: Larus
The closest relatives of the Iceland Gull that you can see in Redwood National Park (genus Larus, Large White-headed Gulls) are Western Gull (about 40%), California Gull (about 20%) and Glaucous-winged Gull (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Iceland Gull is recorded against all the birds logged in Redwood National Park (122 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
