Food Habits of Glaucous Gulls in the Beaufort Sea

• Published in: ARCTIC
• Main Authors: Barry, Samuel J., Barry, Thomas W.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Arctic Institute of North America 1990
• Subjects: glaucous gull; food habits; Beaufort Sea; goéland à ailes glauques; habitudes alimentaires; mer de Beaufort; Mer de Beaufort; Tuktoyaktuk; Arctic; Glaucous Gull
• Online Access: https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/64643

During 1973 and 1974, 1877 regurgitated pellets were collected from 15 glaucous gull colonies on inland lakes, river deltas, and coastal reaches of the Beaufort Sea west and east of Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T. The pellets contained chiefly small rodents, fish, eggs and young of geese and gulls, isopods, berries and grass, and blue mussels. The relative importance of these foods varied among the colonies, both within and between seasons. Predation on young waterfowl was more extensive than predation on eggs. The data show that glaucous gulls are adaptable and opportunistic feeders and that the diversity of foods consumed was high and did not vary within the season.