Mew Gull

January 16, 2019

Mew Gull
Larus canus

by Greg Hanisek
When thinking about the far corners of the world, the Kamchatka Peninsula works as well as anywhere for me. This far northeastern corner of Siberian Russia is a place westerners seldom visit (or even know of its existence), but right now a bird with the barely pronounceable subspecies name kamtschatschensis is in residence at Cove Island Park in Stamford.

The species involved is the Mew Gull, Larus canus, a bird of wide-spread global distribution, but with no breeding known in most of North America. Despite no foothold in New England, three of the four subspecies have been recorded in Connecticut, with most of the records coming within the past decade.

The subspecies of Mew Gull breeding in Europe is known as “Common” Gull, Larus c. canus. That name originates in Great Britain, where it is in fact a common bird. Most of the Mew Gull records from eastern North America are of this subspecies, including six for Connecticut.

Mew Gull photographed in Stamford by Patrick Comins.

Mew Gulls do breed in North America, but only in a limited range in the Pacific Northwest. They represent a separate subspecies sometimes call “Short-billed” Gull, Larus c.brachyrhynchus. It’s very rare in the East, with just one confirmed Connecticut record.

Then we come to the third subspecies, a bird from far northeastern Asia known as “Kamchatka” Gull, the Siberian race of Mew Gull. One would doubt that a bird from that region would ever make it to eastern North America, but the bird found just eight days ago, on January 8, by Patrick Dugan was not the first for Connecticut. Another was seen in 2015 in Fairfield, Milford, and West Haven, and the same individual (based on plumage details) provided a second state record in 2017. This year’s bird is a different individual.

Gulls as a group are known for some monumental wandering. Connecticut has multiple records of another species from northeast Asia, the Slaty-backed Gull. A gull from the U.S. West Coast, Glaucous-winged Gull, has been recorded in Europe.

[This 20-second video, taken January 16, 2019, shows the gull striding left from the handicap spot and across the crosswalk in the Cove Island parking lot; notice the darker gray mantle.]

That said, consider this concise point about “Kamchatka” Gull:

Where and When To Find It: Cove Island Park, Stamford. Right now. There’s no guarantee we’ll see another. Alternatively, plan on a very long plane ride. You never know when a rare bird is going to leave anyway but with this weekend’s storms approaching, its continued presence is even iffier

What Does It Look Like: Mew Gulls are similar to Ring-billed Gulls. The western European and northwestern North American subspecies are both smaller than Ring-billeds. These Mews have thin greenish yellow bills with either a thin ring or no ring at all, depending on season. Their mantles are slightly darker, and they have darker eyes than the Ring-billed’s.

Fortunately for the many recent visitors to Cove Island, “Kamchatka” Gull is more distinctive and more easily separated from both Ring-billed Gulls and other subspecies of Mew Gull. Its mantle is darker than all the other Mews, and it’s big – slightly bigger and also bulkier than the Ring-billed Gulls it’s associating with in Stamford. Its dark mantle, almost suggesting a Lesser Black-backed Gull, makes it stand out among the pale-mantled adult Ring-billed and Herring Gulls. It’s greenish gray legs are much drabber than the yellow legs shown by the Ring-billeds. Its bill fits the general Mew pattern, although larger than the others.

Nick Bonomo, who has found several of Connecticut’s Mew Gulls, has written a detailed article on identification of the Mew Gull species complex.It appeared in The Connecticut Warbler, Volume 37 No. 2 April 2017.

Greg Hanisek is the editor of The Connecticut Warbler.

The easiest way to find this bird at Cove Island Park might be to look for other birders. They will be happy to point it out. Over the past couple of days, birders who use the Connecticut Ornithological Society’s list-serve have specified these locations in the park:

“on the mud flat just north of Weed Ave pull off”

“Currently perched on the wooden fence in the parking area across from the skating rink.”

“on docks next to parking lot.”

“back end of the parking lot”