Knowing Your Tickle-Arse from Your Saddleback

Herring Gull - Larus argentatus

Do you know your tickle-arse from your saddleback? We asked wildlife technician Todd Hollett to sort it out.

Picture it: a beautiful day at the beach withthe sun beating down, not a care in the world as you spread out your beach blanket for a seaside picnic. As you take out your sandwich, you notice a lone gull perched close by. “The poor thing would probably love a bite,” you say to yourself, and you kindly throw it a few scraps. Before you know what’s happened, the bird is emitting ear-piercing screeches and is joined by a dozen of its friends – all of them looking expectantly at you.

Nervously guarding your meal, you check out this hungry looking gang of what are generally called seagulls. You notice that they are not all the same; some are larger than others, some have bigger bills and different colour patterns. Are they even the same kind of birds? Not exactly.

Gulls, of the scientific family Laridae, are a large, diverse group of birds, of which seven call this province home. All gulls are powerful fliers, and males are generally larger than females. They are not picky eaters, will scavenge on just about anything and have no problem taking advantage of food sources provided by humans at restaurant parking lots, beaches and landfills. Here’s a handy guide, so next time you’re surrounded by these hungry scavengers you’ll be able to pick out your stalkers in a lineup.

Herring Gull

A large gull, 60-66 cm long with a wingspan of 120-155 cm, these heavily built gulls have long, powerful yellow bills with a red spot on the lower mandible (beak segment), pink legs, and feet that may be yellow or bluish. They are white overall with a pale grey back and upper wings. The wingtips are black with white spots called mirrors and a white rear edge. The eye is pale yellow and ringed with yellow or orange.

Habitat and Range: These are the most familiar and common gulls throughout North America. Herring gulls can be found in most habitat types including open water, inter-tidal pools, shallows, mud flats, landfills, agricultural areas, picnic and fish processing sites, beaches, parking lots, airport runways, islands, marshes and inland waters. They will often nest on man-made structures.

Diet: The diet is varied, including marine invertebrates such as squid, mussels, zooplankton, crabs and sea urchins; and fish such as capelin, smelt and herring. It also includes insects, eggs and chicks of smaller birds, carrion, human waste and handouts. They will drop hard-shelled prey, such as mussels and clams, on roads or rocks to break the shells and gain access to the soft bodies. One individual in Paris, France, was observed bait fishing by dropping bits of bread on a pond surface and attacking the goldfish that surfaced to feed. The gull did not eat any of the bread, which indicated its intention to use the bread just for luring the fish

Field Marks and Where to See Them: You'll know them by their large heavy bill, light grey back, pink legs and barrel-chested appearance. They are found almost anywhere.

Black-Headed Gull - Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Black-Headed Gull

These small gulls are 38-44 cm long with a 94-105 cm wingspan. The breeding adults, named for their dark brown hood, have a pale grey back with black wing tips. The bill and legs are maroon-red. Winter adults lose the hood, except for a small dark patch behind the eye.

Habitat and Range: These gulls are colonizers from Europe and fairly common winter visitors to Newfoundland, where there are also a few small breeding colonies. Records of their visits to North America began to increase in the mid-1900s, with the first breeding attempt discovered in Newfoundland in 1977. The current North American population is estimated at 40 breeders and 400 non-breeders.

They are ground nesters that prefer coastal marshes, reed beds, rivers, bogs, grasslands, swamps and islands. In winter they primarily inhabit sea coasts, estuaries and bays. They are rarely seen far from the coast.

Diet: These bold and opportunistic omnivores eat insects, worms, fish, mice, berries, seeds, garbage and carrion.

Field Marks and Where to See Them: The white leading edge of the wings, in flight, and the dark hood are good identification features. Good spots to see them are around Stephenville Crossing, where there are known breeding sites, and around St. John’s, where more than 100 are seen annually during the winter.

Black-Legged Kittiwake - Rissa tridactyla

Black-Legged Kittiwake

Local Names: Tickle-ace, tickle arse, tickle ass and fairy bird.

These small gulls, 37-41 cm long, have a wingspan of 91-105 cm. The head and body are white, while the back and wings are grey with solid black wingtips. The legs are black, but some individuals have pinkishgrey to reddish legs. The yellow bill is small and unmarked. In winter, they acquire a dark-grey back neck collar and smudge on the side of the head.

Habitat and Range: This species is a pure seagull that nests in large colonies on inaccessible sea cliffs, offshore islands and sea stacks,wintering far offshore. It will occasionally nest on seaside man-made structures and shipwrecks.

Diet: These birds feed in flocks at the water’s surface on fish and marine invertebrates.

Field Marks and Where to See Them: Look for their black legs. Large nesting colonies can be easily observed at Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve and Witless Bay Ecological Reserve.

Ring-Billed Gull - Larus delawarensis

Ring-Billed Gull

Local Name: Pond Gull

A medium-sized gull, 45-49 cm long with a wingspan of 122-124 cm, it is white overall with a silvery grey back and wings that are black tipped with white spots. The short yellow bill has a dark ring near the tip. The legs are yellow and the yellow eyes have red rims. The head is streaked brown in winter.

Habitat and Range: These common gulls are comfortable, and often congregate, around humans. They frequent garbage dumps, parking lots, beaches, docks, wharves and freshly ploughed fields. They are common in coastal areas; however, many will live their entire lives inland, never seeing the sea, and they're the gull most commonly encountered far away from coastal areas. They also frequent urban/suburban areas, estuaries, mudflats, harbours, water reservoirs, lakes, ponds and streams.

Diet: Ring-bills are able to thrive on almost any source of nutrition: fish, insects, earthworms, rodents, eggs, grain, human garbage, dates, cherries, blueberries, strawberries, as well as french fries and other discarded, or unattended, human foods.

Field Marks and Where to See Them: The black bill ring is a good identification feature, and they can be seen on almost any parking lot in the province.

Iceland Gull - Larus glaucoides

Iceland Gull

This medium sized gull, 50-64 cm long with a 115-150 cm wingspan, is relatively slender and lightweight. The adults are overall white with pale grey back and wings; the wings are variable in colour, typically grey to white. The bill is yellowish-green. In winter the adults have brownish smudging on the head and neck. The legs are pink at all ages.

Habitat and Range: Breeding in Arctic regions of Canada and Greenland, but not in Iceland, they prefer coastal cliffs and forage close to shore on beaches, lawns, agricultural fields and landfills, but are less attracted to dumps than other gull species. They over-winter in Atlantic Canada.

Diet: The diet is mostly made up of fish, but includes mussels, snails, zooplankton, carrion, offal, garbage, eggs and young of other birds, some plants, algae and berries.

Field Marks and Where to See Them: They are smaller than similar gulls and have lighter grey upper parts. They can often be spotted in bays during winter, mingling with local gull flocks.

Glaucous Gull - Larus hyperboreus

Glaucous Gull

This is the second largest gull, 55-77 cm long with a 132-182 cm wingspan. Adults are white with a very pale grey mantle and yellow eyes. The head is streaked with brown in winter. The wingtips are translucent grey to almost white. The bill is yellow with a red spot near the tip of the lower mandible.

Habitat and Range: This gull winters along the Atlantic coast. Breeding in North America occurs from the northern coast of Alaska and east to Labrador. They prefer marine and freshwater coasts, tundra, offshore islands, cliffs and ice edges, and are rarely seen inland. In winter they may be seen in freshwater lakes, agricultural and urban areas, and at landfill sites.

Diet: These gulls are active predators that readily attack seabird colonies, eating any unprotected eggs and chicks. They also eat marine invertebrates, fish, small mammals, carrion, human waste and vegetation, and will steal from other gulls.

Field Marks and Where to See Them: Their large size and translucent wing tips are good identification features. They can be seen during winter in bays and landfill sites mingling with other large gulls.

Great Black-Backed Gull - Larus marinus

Great Black-Backed Gull

Local Name: Saddleback gull, saddleback, black-backs

The largest member of the gull family, black-backed gulls can be massive: 64-79 cm long and wings spanning 1.5-1.7 m. Adults are white overall with dark grey to black upper parts, pale eyes and pink legs. The yellow bill is massive and distinctive with a red or orange spot near the tip of the lower bill.

Habitat and Range: These gulls are found along the Atlantic coast and on the Great Lakes. They are found in rocky and sandy coasts, estuaries, lakes, ponds, rivers, fields, moorlands, landfills, parking lots, runways, piers and wharves. Their preferred nesting sites are isolated, predator-free areas such as small islands, rocky inlets, saltmarshes and barrier beaches.

Diet: These apex predators are opportunistic feeders and very curious. They’ll investigate anything they think they can swallow. Human refuse makes up more than half their diet locally. They will also predate fish, squid, crabs, starfish and other echinoderms, crustaceans and mollusks, nestlings and fledgling birds, and birds’ eggs. They have also been observed eating terrestrial animals such as sick lambs and rats. Alternate food choices include berries and insects. They are also kleptoparasites: they steal food from other birds.

Field Marks and Where to See Them: They are bulky and imposing looking with a large, powerful bill. No other North Atlantic gull has a black back and wings. They are widely distributed and can be found almost anywhere.

Ivory Gull - Pagophila eburnean

Ivory Gull

Local Name Ice partridge

This small white Arctic gull measures 43 cm long with a 94-cm wingspan. Adults are bright white with a yellow-tipped bill, black eyes and black legs. They are short necked and stocky.

Habitat and Range: Only rarely seen south of the Maritime provinces, this gull breeds in the Canadian Arctic on rocky islands and cliffs and is usually found on or near pack ice, spending the winter on the ice. These gulls are often spotted on the east coast of the island and occasionally appear in northern sections of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and interior Labrador. They are protected as an endangered species in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Diet: The diet is composed of fish, crustaceans, rodents, eggs and small chicks. It is also an opportunist that will scavenge seal and porpoise carcasses. Sometimes it follows polar bears and other predators and feeds on the remains of their kills.

Field Marks and Where to See Them: Their ghostly white colour and pigeon-like shape are good identification features. Found most often on pack ice in the Davis Strait, Labrador Sea, Strait of Belle Isle and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence, they have also been recorded in the St. John’s and Lewisporte areas.

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November 2019