# Glaucous gull (*Larus hyperboreus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/glaucous-gull  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus), also called the Burgomaster gull, is a bird in the family Laridae and the order Charadriiformes. It is a medium-sized bird with an adult body mass of 1.529 kg, ranging from 1.249 to 1.703 kg across sources, and a wingspan of 1.58 m. This migratory, omnivore gull lives in coastal habitats and has a geographic range of 2,431,000 km². It lays 2.8 eggs per clutch, one clutch per year, incubates them for 27.25 days and reaches sexual maturity at 4 years; it is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1.25 kg – 1.7 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 1.58 m |
| Lifespan | 21 years |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 21.1 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | coastal |
| Egg incubation | 27.3 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2.8 |
| Age at maturity | 4 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Generalist |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Charadriiformes
- family: Laridae
- genus: Larus
- species: *Larus hyperboreus* Gunnerus, 1767

Synonyms: *Larus glaucus*, *Larus glaucus*, *Larus hutchinsii*, *Larus medius*, *Larus minor*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the glaucous gull?

The glaucous gull is a bird in the family Laridae, order Charadriiformes. It is also called the Burgomaster gull.

### How heavy is a glaucous gull?

An adult Glaucous gull weighs 1.529 kg, with sources reporting from 1.249 to 1.703 kg. Its wingspan is 1.58 m.

### What does the glaucous gull eat?

The glaucous gull is an omnivore, and its trophic level is classed as carnivore.

### What habitat does the glaucous gull live in?

The glaucous gull lives in coastal habitats. It is migratory.

### Is the glaucous gull endangered?

No. The glaucous gull is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a glaucous gull live?

The glaucous gull has a lifespan of 21 years, with a highest reported value of 21.08 years.

### How many eggs does the glaucous gull lay?

The glaucous gull lays 2.8 eggs per clutch and has 1 clutch per year. The eggs are incubated for 27.25 days.

### Who named the glaucous gull?

The glaucous gull, Larus hyperboreus, was named by Gunnerus, 1767.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/glaucous-gull