Larus glaucoides
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Iceland Gull sighting in Svalbard on a given day, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 35th most-seen of the 48 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Iceland Gull in Svalbard on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season. November to January have too few records to rate.
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.
8th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Iceland Gull sightings, Svalbard ranks 8th at under 5%. 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%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Iceland Gull is recorded against all the birds logged in Svalbard (34 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.
