Belcher’s Gull
Photo: Alastair Rae from London, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0

Skimmers, Noddies, Terns, and Gulls

Belcher’s Gull

Larus belcheri

LCLeast Concern
Family
Skimmers, Noddies, Terns, and Gulls (Laridae)
Order
Charadriiformes

Overview

Belcher's gull (Larus belcheri), also known as the band-tailed gull, is a bird in the family Laridae found along the Pacific coast of South America. It formerly included the very similar Olrog's gull as a subspecies, but that bird occurs on the Atlantic coast of South America and is now accepted as a separate species Larus atlanticus. Belcher's gull is a medium-sized gull with a blackish mantle, white head and underparts, a black band on the otherwise white tail, and a yellow bill with a red and black tip. Non-breeding adults have a brownish-black head and a white eye-ring.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Western coast and islets of Humboldt Current of northern Peru to northern Chile; disperses to northern Ecuador and central Chile.

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.