Glaucous-winged gull
Larus glaucescens J. F. Naumann, 1840
The glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens) is a species in the family Laridae, order Charadriiformes. Recorded adults weigh 946.1 g to 1.18 kg and live up to 28.4 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the glaucous-winged gull
- Weight
- 946.1 g – 1.18 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 1.32 m – 1.45 msrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 28.4 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 32 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- coastalsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 27 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2.75src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 5.5 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the glaucous-winged gull?
Photos of the glaucous-winged gull
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the glaucous-winged gull live?
Not recorded
What is the glaucous-winged gull?
The glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens) is a large, white-headed gull. The genus name is from Latin Larus which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific glaucescens is Neo-Latin for "glaucous" from the Ancient Greek, glaukos, denoting the grey color of its wings.
From the Wikipedia article “Glaucous-winged gull” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Glaucous-winged_gull&oldid=1374102198), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the glaucous-winged gull endangered?
The glaucous-winged gull is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the glaucous-winged gull classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyLaridae
- genusLarus
- SpeciesLarus glaucescens J. F. Naumann, 1840
Synonyms Laroides chalcopterus
Other names and names in other languages (49)
- نورس أزرق الجناحArabic
- Берингова чайкаBulgarian
- gavià glaucCatalan
- Луды шылдыран колшӹреMari
- racek šedokřídlýCzech
- gwylan adeinlasWelsh
- gråvinget mågeDanish
- BeringmöweGerman
- Bering-MöweGerman
- grizflugila mevoEsperanto
- Glaŭkflugila mevoEsperanto
- Gaviota de BeringSpanish
- Gaviota ala glaucaSpanish
- Gaviota Alas BlancasSpanish
- hele-kiltkajakasEstonian
- کاکایی بالتیرهPersian
- amerikanisolokkiFinnish
- Goéland à ailes grisesFrench
- Faoileán glasIrish
- Faoileán liath-eitheachIrish
- Foillan skian-ghlassScottish Gaelic
- שחף אפרפרHebrew
- שחף אפור-כנףHebrew
- sjevernopacifički galebCroatian
- bering-tengeri sirályHungarian
- HeiðmáfurIcelandic
- Gabbiano di BeringItalian
- gabbiano glauco del PacificoItalian
- ワシカモメJapanese
- 수리갈매기Korean
- blyškiasparnis kirasLithuanian
- pelēkspārnu kaijaLatvian
- Tónteel tsídii bitʼaʼ dinilbáhígííNavajo
- beringmeeuwDutch
- gråvingemåkeNorwegian
- mewa lodowaPolish
- gaivota-de-beringPortuguese
- gaivota-do-mar-de-beringPortuguese
- gaivotão-prateadoPortuguese
- Серокрылая чайкаRussian
- RánessoadjaskávliNorthern Sami
- čajka ľadováSlovak
- sinji galebSlovenian
- Beringov galebSerbian
- gråvingad trutSwedish
- Buz Rengi MartıTurkish
- мартин берингійськийUkrainian
- 灰翅鷗Chinese
- 灰翅鸥Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the glaucous-winged gull
Other species in the same genus Larus.
European herring gull
Larus argentatus
Common gull
Larus canus
Lesser black-backed gull
Larus fuscus
Great black-backed gull
Larus marinus
Caspian gull
Larus cachinnans
Glaucous gull
Larus hyperboreus
CompareGlaucous-winged gull vs European herring gullGlaucous-winged gull vs Common gullGlaucous-winged gull vs Lesser black-backed gullGlaucous-winged gull vs Great black-backed gull
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the glaucous-winged gull?
An adult glaucous-winged gull weighs 946.1 g – 1.18 kg and has a wingspan of 1.32 m – 1.45 m, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the glaucous-winged gull endangered?
The glaucous-winged gull is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the glaucous-winged gull live?
The glaucous-winged gull has a recorded lifespan of 28.4 years.
What kind of animal is the glaucous-winged gull?
The glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens) belongs to the family Laridae in the order Charadriiformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · 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 · 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 · 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 · 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 · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · 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).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/glaucous-winged-gull
“Glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/glaucous-winged-gull.
@misc{glaucous_winged_gull_2026,
title = {Glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/glaucous-winged-gull},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}