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Sabine's Gull Xema sabini Gaviota de Sabine
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Adult, breeding plumage
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Photo: G. Beaton |
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Sabine's Gull Xema sabini Gaviota de Sabine
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Adult, breeding plumage
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Photo: G. Beaton |
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This rare gull has a slightly forked tail and a distinctive pattern of black and white triangles on the wings. The adult has a yellow-tipped bill and in the breeding season has a black head. Length: 28 cm.; weight: 155-213 g. Breeds on the tundra in arctic Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Eurasia. Winters in northern oceans. Accidental at sea in the West Indies, with one sighting in San Juan Harbor at the mouth of the Martφn Pe±a Canal, March 7, 1992. TAXONOMY: CHARADRIIFORMES; LARIDAE; Larinae |
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Adult, breeding plumage -
Photo: G. Beaton |
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Adults, winter plumage - Photo: G. Beaton
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References Bent, A.C. 1921. Life histories of North American gulls and terns. Smithsonian Instit. U.S. National Museum Bull. 113. (Reprinted by Dover Press, 1963). Day, R. H., I. J. Stenhouse, and H. G. Gilchrist. 2001. Sabine's Gull (Xema sabini). No. 593 in The birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal, eds. 1996. Handbook of Birds of the World, Vol. 3. Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Ehrlich, P.R., D.S. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1988. The birderÆs handbook: a field guide to the natural history of North American birds. Simon and Schuster/ Fireside, NY. Grant, P.J. 1997. Gulls: a guide to identification, 2nd Ed. Academic Press, NY. Harrison, P. 1983. Seabirds: an identification guide. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. Harrison, P. 1987. A field guide to seabirds of the world. Stephen Greene Press, Lexington, MA. Oberle, M. and C. Haney. 2002. Gaviota de Sabine y otras gaviotas raras en San Juan. El Bien-te-veo 5(2):3-4. Next related species in taxonomic order Previous related species in taxonomic order |