UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



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Contribution from the Bureau of Biological Survey 

 HENRY W. HENSHAW, Chief 



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Washington, D. C. 



October 25, 1915 



DISTRIBUTION AND MIGRATION OF NORTH 

 AMERICAN GULLS AND THEIR ALLIES. 



By Wells W. Cooke, Assistant Biologist. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 1 



Economic importance of gulls 1 



Bird refuges 2 



Protection by private associations 3 



Legal protection 3 



Distribution 4 



Old World forms accidental in North 



America 4 



Forms breeding in the Arctic not 



wintering in the United States. . 4 



Introduction — Continued . 

 Distribution— Coutinued. 



Forms breeding and wintering in the 



United States 4 



Forms breeding in the Arctic but 

 occurring in the United States in 



winter or in migration 5 



Migration 5 



Annotated list of species 5 



Index 69 



INTRODUCTION. 



Gulls, including skuas and jsegers, are represented in the United 

 States by 22 species or subspecies and are important from several 

 points of view. Belonging to the order of long-winged swimmers, 

 they are strong of wing, and nearly all are coast-loving forms. They 

 spend comparatively little of their time in fresh water; but some are 

 true inland birds, frequenting prairies, marshes, and inland lakes. 



ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF GULLS. 



Flocks of gulls resting lightly on the waters of our harbors or fol- 

 lowing the wake of water craft are a familiar sight, but not every 

 observer of the graceful motions of the birds is aware of the fact that 

 gulls are the original " white wings." As sea scavengers they wel- 

 come as food dead fish, garbage, and offal of various sorts, and their 



Note. — This bulletin presents precise information regarding the ranges of the several species of gulls 

 and their allies, the skuas and jspgers, especially the breeding ranges and migrations, and includes data 

 for use for legislative reference to serve as a basis for legal protection for the species by States in which 

 they are found. For general distribution. 

 3673°— Bull. 292—15 1 



