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ODNR Division of Wildlife - Fishing - Trout Stockings
ODNR Division of Wildlife - A to Z Species Guide - Iceland Gull

 Iceland Gull

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This is an Arctic species, normally only coming as far south as Lake Erie in the winter. Thayer's gull, another Arctic species that is closely related, also is a rare, but regular Lake Erie winter visitor. Iceland gulls are normally outnumbered by the similar, but more robust glaucous gull by a factor of two or three.


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Iceland Gull
Larus glaucoides

At-a-Glance

• Clutch Size: 2-3 eggs

• Typical Foods: fish, aquatic invertebrates, and carrion
Description
The Iceland gull is a gorgeous species, mostly lacking dark pigment in the wing tips, giving them a very pale, ghostly appearance. They are a smaller version of the glaucous gull.

Habitat and Habits
Iceland gulls are most easily found when Lake Erie freezes, and concentrates gulls around open water at warm outlets of power plants. The calls are similar and hard to differentiate from the herring gull.

Reproduction and Care of the Young
These gulls nest on cliffs or sandy shores.