Grey Gull

Leucophaeus modestus (Tschudi, 1843)

Grey Gull, Leucophaeus modestus, is a gull of South America, breeding in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile and moving to the coasts of Ecuador to central Chile outside the breeding season. It is notable for nesting far inland in one of the driest places in the region. The species was described by Tschudi in 1843 and belongs to the Laridae. Its inland breeding site is unusual for a gull, while its non-breeding presence is along the Pacific coast.

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Laridae — Gulls, Terns, Skimmers

Breeding range

South America: Atacama Desert (n Chile)

Nonbreeding range

to coasts of Ecuador to c Chile