| Vega gull | |
|---|---|
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| Vega gull inChukotka Autonomous Okrug, northeastern Siberia | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Laridae |
| Genus: | Larus |
| Species: | L. vegae |
| Binomial name | |
| Larus vegae Palmén, 1887 | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Larus argentatus vegae | |
TheVega gull,East Siberian gull, orEast Siberian herring gull (Larus vegae) is a largegull of theherring gull/lesser black-backed gull complex which breeds inNortheast Asia. Its classification is still controversial and uncertain. It is variously treated as a separate species, as asubspecies of theAmerican herring gull (L. smithsonianus) or included with both the American herring gull andEuropean herring gull inL. argentatus. TheMongolian gullLarus mongolicus was formerly regarded as a subspecies of Vega gull.[2] It was described in 1887 from specimens collected on the 1878–1880Vega Expedition on the Swedish shipSSVega.[3]
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The Vega gull is similar to the herring gull but is slightly darker grey above. The head of the Vega gull is heavily streaked with brown in winter, especially on the back and sides of the neck forming a collar. The legs are usually bright pink. First- and second-winter Vega gulls are darker than the similar Mongolian gull, notably on the crown of the head where Mongolian gulls even in first- and second-winter are a bit paler. Almost the full body of first- and second-winter Vega gulls displays darker brown flecks and streaks. Adult Vega gulls in winter can often be mistaken for the very similar-lookingslaty-backed gull (L.schistisagus) and thewestern gull (L. occidentalis), but the Vega gull's grey is lighter than the two similar species. Eye colour is variable but tends to be dark with a redorbital ring. The bill is yellow with a red spot except for first- and second-winter gulls where the bill can be almost entirely dark grey to black, with the grey portion shrinking until it reaches maturity.
Vega gulls in the northwestern part of their breeding range are paler above. They are sometimes considered to be a separate subspecies namedBirula's gull (Larus vegae birulai).[4]
Vega gulls breed in northeasternSiberia, andmigrate south to winter inJapan,Korea, easternChina, andTaiwan. They are regularly seen onSt. Lawrence Island andNome,Alaska and may breed there. There are also records from other parts of western Alaska, and a few photo documented records fromWashington andCalifornia. In their winter range they are typically found in harbours, on rocky shores and at river mouths.
