Thayer's Gull
(Larus thayeri)

Overview

Summary

© Ted Krug
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Thayer's Gulls breed across the Canadian High Arctic, and most winter along the Pacific coast of Canada and the United States. Counts of these birds vary among the surveys that record the species. The information is insufficient to determine the status of Thayer's Gulls in Canada; improved monitoring is required. With such a large percentage of the global breeding population, Canada's responsibility for the conservation of this species is very high. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

Designations

Population status

Population estimate

Distribution maps

• BirdLife International / NatureServe

Migration strategy, occurrence

Responsibility for conservation of world population

Conservation and management

Some Thayer's Gulls wintering along the Pacific coast forage on lawns, agricultural areas and garbage dumps, where they may be exposed to pesticides and other harmful contaminants (Snell 2002a). Others winter offshore and scavenge for fisheries discards; changing fishing practices could affect feeding opportunities for wintering Thayer's Gulls. The most pressing management need for the species is an improved understanding of its population status.

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

• conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
• stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
• management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
• other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

References

• Snell, R.R. 2002a. Thayer's Gull (Larus glaucoides), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Snell, R.R. 2002a. Thayer's Gull (Larus glaucoides), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. (Link)