ID Keys: Large size, pink legs, dark mantle, yellow bill with red
spot on lower mandible, streaking on head and neck, completely white
tail
The
Slaty-backed Gull is a large gull species native to northeastern Asia, from
Siberia southward to Korea and Japan. In North America, they are rare
visitors, with most sightings occurring in and around Alaska, but also with
sightings in many other scattered locations. Breeding has occurred in
North America, with the first confirmed breeding occurring in Aniktun Island
in the 1990s.
Habitat
Found around rocky cliffs or rocky slopes
when breeding, or less frequently, in sandy areas with vegetation.
Also found in coastal areas during the non-breeding season.
Diet
Omnivorous. Food items include fish,
crustaceans, mollusks, insects, bird eggs and young birds, small vertebrates
such as small rodents, and carrion. May also sometimes feed on
vegetation, such as berries.
Behavior
Uses a variety of foraging techniques
depending on location and food item.
Nesting
A colonial nester. The nest is made
of seaweed and other vegetation, placed on a rocky ledge, or on a rocky
slope. The female lays 2 or 3 eggs, and both parents help to incubate
them. When the eggs hatch, both parents help take care of the young.
First flight occurs after about 7 or 8 weeks.
Song
Has a loud bugling "kaaww" call.
Migration
Breeds in coastal locations of
northeastern Russia, with limited breeding in the far northern Japanese
Islands. Non-breeding birds can be found further south, including coastal
Korea, China, and Taiwan.
