#bestgullpoll

[bestgullpoll]

Best Gull Poll: FINAL MATCHUP!

It's time for the final showdown! Who will take home the title of Best Gull?

[Image ID: Two pictures of gulls. The left is a lava gull walking along a concrete ledge. The right is a Ross's gull standing among small rocks by the shore. /End ID]

lava gull vs Ross's gull

lava gull

Ross's gull

Voting ended onMay 25, 2023

The lava gull (Leucophaeus fuliginosus) is the rarest gull in the world. They are found only on the Galápagos Islands, predominantly the Santa Cruz, Isabela, San Cristobal, and Genovesa islands, with an estimated population of 300-600 individuals. They typically measure 51-55 cm (20-22 in) in length. Unlike other hooded gulls, their sooty brown-to-black head does not vary by season. They have red eyelids and white eye crescents. Their body is dark grey with paler grey underparts, their bill and legs are black, and their wings are dark grey with a white leading edge. On Genovesa they exploit the kleptoparasitic behavior of the magnificent frigatebird, capitalizing on botched attempts by the frigatebirds to steal fish from other seabirds. Unlike most gulls which nest close together, they are solitary nesters. They are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN.

The Ross's gull (Rhodostethia rosea) is a small gull found in the high Arctic of northern North America, northeastern Siberia, and the Bering Sea. They typically measure 29-31 cm (11-12 in) in length and 90-100 cm (35-39 in) in length. They have a white head, black neck ring, white underparts with a pink flush, light grey upperparts and wings, red legs, and small black bill. They have a distinctive wedge-shaped white tail. They feed on small fish, crustaceans, and insects. They also eat biofilm, the mixture of plankton, microbes, and detritus that washes up on beaches and intertidal areas.

lava gull image by budgora

Ross's gull image by Tony Beck

[bestgullpoll]

Round 2, Side B: Match 36

[Image ID: Two pictures of gulls. The left is a glaucous-winged gull standing on the edge of a wooden dock. The right is a swallow-tailed gull standing on a rock. /End ID]

glaucous-winged gull vs swallow-tailed gull

glaucous-winged gull

swallow-tailed gull

Voting ended onMay 12, 2023

The glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens) is a large gull found on the coasts of far eastern Russia and western North America. They typically measure 50-68 cm (20-27 in) in length and 120-150 cm (47-59 in) in wingspan. They have white underparts and head, silver-grey upperparts and wings with white spots at the tips, pink legs, and yellow bill with red spot. Where their range overlaps with the western gull in the northern continental United States, they hybridize so frequently with the western gull that the hybrids ("Olympic gulls") are more common than either species. They feed on fish, invertebrates, small mammals and birds, and carrion.

The swallow-tailed gull (Creagrus furcatus) is a large gull found on the Galápagos Islands and off the coast of South America. When not breeding, they are completely pelagic. They typically measure 51-61 cm (20-24 in) in length and 124-139 cm (49-55 in) in wingspan. They have a black head, bright red eye rings, black bill with white tip, light grey upper breast, red legs, grey back and upper wings, and white forked tail. The rest of their wings are white, except for the tips which are black. They are the only fully nocturnal gull and seabird in the world, feeding on squid and small fish which come to the surface at night to feed on plankton.

glaucous-winged gull image by Dick Daniels

swallow-tailed gull image by Benjamint444

[bestgullpoll]

Semifinals: Match 51

[Image ID: Two pictures of gulls. The left is an ivory gull sitting on snow. The right is a Ross's gull walking on a grassy bank. /End ID]

ivory gull vs Ross's gull

ivory gull

Ross's gull

Voting ended onMay 22, 2023

The ivory gull (Pagophila eburnea) is a mid-sized gull that has a circumpolar distribution around the Arctic. They typically measure 40-43 cm (16-17 in) in length and 108-120 cm (42-47 in) in wingspan. They have a more pigeon-like shape than other gulls. Their plumage are completely white, and they have black legs and a thick blue bill with yellow tip. They feed on fish, crustaceans, rodents, eggs, and small chicks. They have been known to follow polar bears and other predators to scavenge on the remains of their kills. Because of their declining population, possibly due to illegal hunting or to decline in sea ice, they are listed as near threatened by the IUCN.

The Ross's gull (Rhodostethia rosea) is a small gull found in the high Arctic of northern North America, northeastern Siberia, and the Bering Sea. They typically measure 29-31 cm (11-12 in) in length and 90-100 cm (35-39 in) in length. They have a white head, black neck ring, white underparts with a pink flush, light grey upperparts and wings, red legs, and small black bill. They have a distinctive wedge-shaped white tail. They feed on small fish, crustaceans, and insects. They also eat biofilm, the mixture of plankton, microbes, and detritus that washes up on beaches and intertidal areas.

ivory gull image by Alan Schmierer

Ross's gull image by Tom Wilberding

[bestgullpoll]

Round 1, Side B: Match 21

[Image ID: Two pictures of gulls. The left is a Ross's gull walking across sand. The right is a yellow-footed gull walking across a beach. /End ID]

Ross's gull vs. yellow-footed gull

Ross's gull

yellow-footed gull

Voting ended onMay 7, 2023

The Ross's gull (Rhodostethia rosea) is a small gull found in the high Arctic of northern North America, northeastern Siberia, and the Bering Sea. They typically measure 29-31 cm (11-12 in) in length and 90-100 cm (35-39 in) in length. They have a white head, black neck ring, white underparts with a pink flush, light grey upperparts and wings, red legs, and small black bill. They have a distinctive wedge-shaped white tail. They feed on small fish, crustaceans, and insects. They also eat biofilm, the mixture of plankton, microbes, and detritus that washes up on beaches and intertidal areas.

The yellow-footed gull (Larus livens) is a large gull endemic to the Gulf of California. They typically measure 53-62 cm (21-28 in) in length and 140-160 cm (55-63 in) in wingspan. They have white underparts and head, dark grey upperparts and wings with black tips and white "mirrors," yellow legs, and thick yellow bill with red spot. They feed on fish, invertebrates, seabird chicks and eggs, and carrion.

Ross's gull image by Shiloh Schulte

yellow-footed gull image by Laura Gaudette

[bestgullpoll]

Round 1, Side B: Match 15

[Image ID: Two pictures of gulls. The left is a laughing gull standing on a concrete surface. The right is a red-legged kittiwake standing on a rock. /End ID]

laughing gull vs. red-legged kittiwake

laughing gull

red-legged kittiwake

Voting ended onMay 7, 2023

The laughing gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) lives and breeds on the Atlantic coast of North America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. They typically measure 36-41 cm (14-16 in) in length and 98-110 cm (39-43 in) in wingspan. They have a black head, white eye crescents, dark grey upperparts and wings with black tips, reddish-black legs, and red bill. They eat insects, crabs and crab eggs, fish, squid, and carrion. They have also been seen eating the eggs and chicks of other birds.

The red-legged kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris) is a small gull breeds on islands in the Bering Sea and spends the winter at sea. They typically measure 35-39 cm (14-15 in) in length and 84-92 cm (33-36 in) in wignspan. They have white underparts and head, dark grey back and wings with black tips, short yellow bill, and red legs. They feed on fish, squid, and invertebrates. They are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN.

laughing gull image by Ben Keen

red-legged kittiwake image by Dick Daniels

[bestgullpoll]

Best Gull Poll: Round 1, Side A

The gull games have begun! Find the individual poll posts for this batch of matchups linked below. They will run for 24 hours, until May 5, 2023 at 00:00 UTC.

Match 1: kelp gull vs Andean gull

Match 2: lava gull vs black-tailed gull

Match 3: Pacific gull vs Franklin's gull

Match 4: Belcher's gull vs Saunders's gull

Match 5: western gull vs great black-backed gull

Match 6: Armenian gull vs black-headed gull

Match 7: glaucous gull vs yellow-legged gull

Match 8: Audouin's gull vs Sabine's gull

Match 9: Olrog's gull vs slender-billed gull

Match 10: Mediterranean gull vs lesser black-backed gull

Match 11: Iceland gull vs brown-headed gull

[bestgullpoll]

Round 1, Side A: Match 5

[Image ID: Two pictures of gulls. The left is a western gull standing on a rock. The right is a great black-backed gull standing on a rock. /End ID]

western gull vs. great black-backed gull

western gull

great black-backed gull

Voting ended onMay 5, 2023

The western gull (Larus occidentalis) is a large gull that lives on the west coast of North America from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico. They typically measure 55-68 cm (22-27 in) in length and 130-144 cm (51-57 in) in wingspan. They have a white head and body, dark grey back and wings, pink legs, orange eye ring, and heavy yellow bill with red spot. They rarely venture more than 160 km (100 mi) inland from the ocean. In the northern part of their range, they hybridize so frequently with glaucous-winged gulls that the hybrids ("Olympic gulls") are more common than either species. They feed on fish, invertebrates, and carrion, and occasionally other birds. They are even known to steal milk from sleeping mother seals.

The great black-backed gull (Larus marinus) is the largest gull in the world, measuring 64-79 cm (25-31 in) in length and 150-170 cm (59-67 in) in wingspan. They live and breed along the European and North American coasts and islands of the northern Atlantic. They have white underparts and head, dark grey back, dark grey wings with white "mirrors" at the tips, pink legs, and large, powerful yellow bill with red spot. They are apex predators and are known to frequently and aggressively hunt prey such as other smaller birds and mammals, unlike most other gulls. They also eat fish, crabs, and other invertebrates, and steal food from other birds.

western gull image by David Iliff

great black-backed gull image by Andreas Trepte

[bestgullpoll]

Round 1, Side B: Match 16

[Image ID: Two pictures of gulls. The left is a brown-hooded gull with its head stretched up and forward and bill open in a call. The right is a great black-headed gull with its head pulled back and bill wide open in a call. /End ID]

brown-hooded gull vs. great black-headed gull

brown-hooded gull

great black-headed gull

Voting ended onMay 7, 2023

The brown-hooded gull (Chroicocephalus maculipennis) is a small gull found in southern South America. They typically measure 35-37 cm (14-15 in) in length. They have a dark brown head, white eye crests, white underparts, light grey back, orange-red legs, and dark red bill. Their grey wings are darker at the tips with a large white "mirror." They eat insects, invertebrates, and carrion, and steal food from other birds. The black-headed duck has a brood parasite relationship with the brown-hooded gull, where the duck will lay an egg in the gull's nest to be incubated by the gull.

The great black-headed gull (Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus) breeds in southern Russia and Mongolia and migrates to winter in the eastern Mediterranean, Arabia, and India. They are the third-largest gull in the world, measuring 55-72 cm (22-28 in) in length and 142-170 (56-67 in) in wingspan. They have a black head, white eye crescents and underparts, grey back and wings with black tips and white "mirrors," and yellow legs and bill with red and black tip. They eat fish, crustaceans, insects, and even small mammals.

brown-hooded gull image by Cláudio Dias Timm

great black-headed gull image by Dmitry Mikhirev