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Diet and plastic ingestion of a remote, inland colony of glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) in Arctic Canada
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Researchers studied pellets from an inland glaucous gull colony in Arctic Canada near a landfill. The gulls mostly ate lemmings rather than marine prey, with smaller amounts of shells, fish bones, eggshells, and plastic debris found in about 9% of pellets.
Glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) are diet generalists that usually nest in coastal colonies with other species of seabirds, often preying upon their neighbours’ eggs and young. Near a landfill on Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, a colony of glaucous gulls inhabits a small island within Tern Lake where they are the only seabird species nesting. Given that most information of glaucous gull diet comes from birds nesting among other seabirds, this study aimed to determine whether their diet differs from other more typical nearby populations. In addition, we assessed whether these gulls were likely foraging at the nearby landfill. We collected 107 regurgitated glaucous gull pellets from this colony in 2024 and 2025, dissected them, and identified prey items to the lowest possible taxonomic level, as well as any ingested anthropogenic debris. Gulls were feeding predominantly on northern collared lemmings (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus) in both years (frequency of occurrence, FO, of 97%), which contrasts with most previous accounts of glaucous gulls feeding at higher trophic levels on marine prey and young of other seabird species. Other prey items found in this inland colony included mollusk shells, fish vertebrae, bird eggshells, and low amounts of anthropogenic debris including plastic (FO 9%). Our study provides strong evidence of dietary plasticity in glaucous gulls in this inland habitat.
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Data from: Diet and plastic ingestion of a remote, inland colony of glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) in Arctic Canada
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers examined regurgitated pellets from a glaucous gull colony on a remote island in Arctic Canada. The gulls mostly ate lemmings rather than typical marine prey, with small amounts of mollusk shells, fish bones, eggshells, and plastic debris also found in the pellets.
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Researchers analyzed pellets and prey remains from two species of Antarctic skuas to understand their feeding habits. This type of dietary study in polar seabirds can reveal whether marine predators are inadvertently ingesting microplastics along with their prey.
Contrasting patterns of plastic ingestion and transport by an opportunistic gull across urban and agricultural landscapes
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Researchers compared plastic ingestion and GPS-tracked transport behavior in yellow-legged gulls breeding in urban Barcelona versus an inland agricultural area, finding that urban gulls carried plastics in 100% of regurgitated pellets and transported roughly ten times more plastic debris to their colonies than their inland counterparts.
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