CreatureData

Ross's gull

Rhodostethia rosea (W. MacGillivray, 1824)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The ross's gull (Rhodostethia rosea) is a species in the family Laridae, order Charadriiformes. Recorded adults weigh 144 g to 187 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Ross's gull (Rhodostethia rosea)
Photo: Hiraku Senzaki · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the ross's gull

Weight
144 g – 187 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
82 cm – 92 cmsrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
coastalsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
21 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
3src for Young per litter or clutch
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Aerialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the ross's gull?

ROSS'S GULL · WINGSPAN 92 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 92 cm, the recorded maximum wingspan of the ross's gull is about 54% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Where does the ross's gull live?

Not recorded

What is the ross's gull?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

Ross's gull (Rhodostethia rosea) is a small gull, the only species in its genus, although it has been suggested the genus should be merged with the closely related Hydrocoloeus, which otherwise only includes the little gull.

This bird is named after the British explorer James Clark Ross. Its breeding grounds were first discovered in 1905 by Sergei Aleksandrovich Buturlin near the village of Pokhodsk in northeastern Yakutia, while visiting the area as a judge. The genus name Rhodostethia is from Ancient Greek rhodon, "rose", and stethos, "breast". The specific rosea is Latin for "rose-coloured".

From the Wikipedia article “Ross's gull” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ross%27s_gull&oldid=1367610077), 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 ross's gull endangered?

The ross's gull is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the ross's gull classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderCharadriiformes
  5. familyLaridae
  6. genusRhodostethia
  7. SpeciesRhodostethia rosea (W. MacGillivray, 1824)

Synonyms Hydrocoloeus rosea, Larus roseum, Larus roseus, Larus rossii

Other names and names in other languages (52)
  • Red gullEnglish
  • Ross' gullEnglish
  • Rosy gullEnglish
  • Wedged-tailed gullEnglish
  • نورس أحمرArabic
  • نورس ورديArabic
  • Розова чайкаBulgarian
  • Gouelanig rozBreton
  • gavina rosadaCatalan
  • Ошалгы-якшар колшӹреMari
  • racek růžovýCzech
  • gwylan RossWelsh
  • Gwylanod RossWelsh
  • rosenmågeDanish
  • RosenmöweGerman
  • roza mevoEsperanto
  • Gaviota rosadaSpanish
  • Gaviota de RossSpanish
  • roosakajakasEstonian
  • ruusulokkiFinnish
  • BrandmásiFaroese
  • Mouette roséeFrench
  • mouette de RossFrench
  • Faoileán RossIrish
  • Faoileán rósachIrish
  • Foillan RossScottish Gaelic
  • שחף ורודHebrew
  • rózsás sirályHungarian
  • RósamáfurIcelandic
  • Gabbiano di RossItalian
  • ヒメクビワカモメJapanese
  • NaajannguaqKalaallisut
  • 쇠목테갈매기Korean
  • rožinis kirasLithuanian
  • sārtā kaijaLatvian
  • розев галебMacedonian
  • rosenmåkeNorwegian Bokmål
  • Ross’ meeuwDutch
  • Ross' MeeuwDutch
  • rosenmåseNorwegian Nynorsk
  • mewa różowaPolish
  • gaivota-rosadaPortuguese
  • розовая чайкаRussian
  • RuvsobáiskiNorthern Sami
  • čajka ružováSlovak
  • rožnati galebSlovenian
  • Ružičasti galebSerbian
  • rosenmåsSwedish
  • pembe martıTurkish
  • Мартин рожевийUkrainian
  • 楔尾鷗Chinese
  • 楔尾鸥Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the ross's gull

Other species in the same family Laridae.

CompareRoss's gull vs Black-headed gullRoss's gull vs European herring gullRoss's gull vs Common gullRoss's gull vs Common tern

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the ross's gull?

An adult ross's gull weighs 144 g – 187 g and has a wingspan of 82 cm – 92 cm, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the ross's gull endangered?

The ross's gull is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the ross's gull?

The ross's gull (Rhodostethia rosea) 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.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Ross's gull (Rhodostethia rosea). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/ross-s-gull

MLA

“Ross's gull (Rhodostethia rosea).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/ross-s-gull.

BibTeX
@misc{ross_s_gull_2026,
  title = {Ross's gull (Rhodostethia rosea)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/ross-s-gull},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}