Glaucous Gull
Glaucous Gull has edged down: down 21% on the route-weighted index since 1986.
About the Glaucous Gull
The Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) is a North American member of the Gulls, Terns & Skimmers (Laridae). In this analysis it is grouped with the wetland birds.
- Size
- 8.5–31.5 in long (22–80 cm) — a long-winged waterbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, frogs and plant matter.
- Range
- Recorded on 27 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 1 state, most concentrated in the BCR 2.
- Family
- Laridae · Wetland birds
Notable Glaucous Gull Trends
No notable trend signals for Glaucous Gull. See the full index history below.
Glaucous Gull Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Glaucous Gull is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.16 (95% range 0.00–0.36). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±161.9%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.16 | 0.00 | 0.35 |
| 2026 | 0.16 | 0.00 | 0.35 |
| 2027 | 0.16 | 0.00 | 0.35 |
| 2028 | 0.16 | 0.00 | 0.35 |
| 2029 | 0.16 | 0.00 | 0.36 |
Where the Glaucous Gull Is Detected
BBS routes recording Glaucous Gull, sized by most recent count.
Glaucous Gull Population Trend by State
| Alaska | -96% | 1986 | 27 |
Glaucous Gull Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | +448% | 1993 | 13 |
| BCR 3 | +456% | 1995 | 4 |
| BCR 4 | -100% | 1991 | 9 |
Glaucous Gull Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 20% since 1986.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.