Rosss Gull (Rhodostethia rosea) Science Article 1
abstract
Only 15 cases of breeding of Ross’s gull Rhodostethia rosea are known outside of Siberia. While numerous birdsare regularly seen in the fall at Point Barrow, Alaska, until now only one breeding locality has been known for Nunavut, Canada.We found a second breeding locality in Nunavut in the northwestern corner of Prince Charles Island (Foxe Basin). We observedone pair incubating two eggs on a small island (30 m in diameter) situated in a medium-sized lake, on a low plateau at the top ofa complex of raised beaches. None of the reports on aerial or land surveys of this region have mentioned the reproduction of thisspecies, though unpublished aerial observations suggest that the species has been present during the 1980s. Outside Siberia, thisspecies seems to be characterized by an irregular and scattered distribution of its breeding sites.
Arnaud Bechet, Jean-Louis Martin, Peter Meister and Corinne Rabouam, ARCTIC VOL. 53, NO. 3 (SEPTEMBER 2000) P. 234- 236