Short-billed Gull
Short-billed Gull (<em>Larus brachyrhynchus</em>) is a species of Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (<em>Laridae</em>) in the order Shorebirds, Gulls and Alcids.
Overview
Short-billed Gull (Larus brachyrhynchus) is a species of Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae) in the order Shorebirds, Gulls and Alcids.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Larus; binomial: Larus brachyrhynchus; authority: Richardson, 1831.
Distribution
Breeding range: the Nearctic. Non-breeding range: e North Pacific coast from s British Columbia (sw Canada) to nw Baja California (nw Mexico).
Conservation Status
This taxon is listed as Extant (living) in the IOC World Bird List.
Remarks
Genetically distinct Short-billed Gull previously split from Common/Mew Gull (AOU; Zink et al. 1995; Sibley 1996; Olsen & Larsson 2003; BNA). However, Zink et al. (1995) sampled only mtDNA of kamtschatschensis and brachyrhynchus, and some have proposed (e.g. Sibley & Monroe 1990) that the species break might be between kamtschatschensis and canus/brachyrhynchus. After further consideration by the NACC, Larus brachyrhynchus is split from Larus canus (including kamtschatschensis) based on vocal, morphological and genetic differences (NACC 2021-A-3; Chesser et al. 2021).
