Skimmers, Noddies, Terns, and Gulls
Belcher’s Gull
Larus belcheri
- 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.
Continents
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Belcher's gull
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
