Unusual Species (Ross's Gull?) Sighted

Observation by Sandra Hill:

I live in Hooper Bay and we are seeing a new species of gull we've never seen before. A small pinkish seagull that is new to our beach. It's very unusual to see pink gulls. Never would have thought there were such birds. I tried looking up the species but it confuses me more. When I get a chance, I will capture one on my camera and upload it.

Comments from LEO Editors:

Two other observations (over the course of five days) have been posted of an unusual bird species, with a similar description to this. They were submitted by LEO Observers in Togiak. In her observation, Lindsey Markoff, Togiak Environmental Program Assistant, writes: "This unusual bird was seen along the coastal beach of Togiak, Alaska. The color of its feathers: bright pink with gray wings and a white face with a black outline of a circle also beak and feet color, black. This bird almost resembled a small seagull. Unsure of its bird species." Vivian Active, also a LEO Observer in Togiak, writes: "Pink colored looking Arctic tern and shape of the head had like owl design with black beak." This observation was forwarded to the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, and to the US Fish and Wildlife Seabird Coordinator.

Patrick Walsh, Supervisory Fish and Wildlife Biologist at the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, writes:

What an interesting observation! The bird appears to be Ross's gull (Rhodostetia rosea). This is a high Arctic species, reported in Armstrong, R.,1990, Guide to the Birds of Alaska as occurring accidentally in southwestern Alaska and not known to breed here. This bird's bright plumage indicates it is a breeding adult, so it would be interesting to know if there are more than just one of these present.

Kathy Kuletz, Seabird Coordinator at US Fish and Wildlife Service, writes:

What an amazing sighting! Thanks for bringing it to my attention - and kudos to the folks who reported it, and even with photo backup. That's definitely a Ross's gull. I will pass this on to colleagues in the Circumpolar Seabird Group - I'm sure they'll be interested as well.

We will have to keep our eyes open to this possibility while conducting seabird surveys in the Bering and Chukchi seas this year. I will be out there for most of June, on the R/V Sikuliaq, and we have 5 other survey cruises this summer.

Resources:

Learn more about the Arctic Council's Circumpolar Seabird Group.

The Audubon Society describes the Ross's gull as an elusive Arctic bird, nesting far away from human-impacted areas. See the Ross's Gull Species Profile.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology also has a species profile for the Ross's gull, with additional information on the gulls' conservation status.

According to the eBird observation Network, Ross's gull sightings are concentrated north of Nome, however, the gulls have also been seen in the Aleutian Islands, lower Alaska Peninsula, Nunivak Island, southern Seward Peninsula, and in the northern part of Alaska's Southeast region.