
Glaucous-winged Gull (Western Gull hybrid)
Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Aves, Order: Charadriiformes, Family: Laridae, Genus: Larus, Species: L. glaucescens
Family: Laridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- Shape
- Symmetrical vane with a rounded tip, broad and softly oval outline
- Size
- Approximately 5 to 6 inches long, consistent with a medium-to-large body or covert feather for a large gull species.
- Rarity
- Very Common
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Description
A classic medium-gray body or mantle feather belonging to a large Pacific coastal gull. These birds are robust with heavy bills, pale gray mantles, and pink legs, highly adaptable and common along the coast of British Columbia.
Colour & Pattern
Solid, uniform soft pearl-gray or medium slate-gray coloration with a whitish base and fluffy downy under-feathers. No distinct banding or patterning, typical of adult mantle or upper body plumage.
Barb Structure
Pennaceous at the upper tip transitioning smoothly into plumulaceous (fluffy, downy) barbs near the base. Barbs are intact with standard barbicels forming a cohesive vane.
Texture & Surface
Smooth and soft to the touch with a matte appearance. The lower base is exceptionally fluffy and down-like.
Key Features
Uniform soft pearl-gray vane, pale shaft, and fluffy plumulaceous base without any dark subterminal bands or complex spotting.
Habitat
Coastal marine environments, beaches, rocky shores, estuaries, and increasingly inland municipal areas such as landfills, parking lots, and agricultural fields.
Geographic Range
Pacific coast of North America, stretching from Alaska down through British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and into northwestern Mexico.
Ecological Role
Acts as an opportunistic scavenger, marine predator, and nutrient recycler within coastal and marine ecosystems.
Similar Species
California Gull or Mew Gull, which may show different shades of gray or smaller sizing, and various other large gulls in the Pacific Northwest.
Interesting Facts
Glaucous-winged Gulls frequently hybridize with Western Gulls along the Pacific Northwest coast, creating a complex spectrum of hybrid phenotypes often referred to informally as 'Olympic Gulls'.
Condition Notes
Good condition. The vane is largely intact with minor normal wear at the very edge of the tip.
Notes
Tsawwassen bc