A Second Breeding Site for Ross's Gull (<i>Rhodostethia rosea</i>) in Nunavut, Canada

Abstract

Only 15 cases of breeding of Ross's gull Rhodostethia rosea are known outside of Siberia. While numerous birds are 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 observed one 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 of a complex of raised beaches. None of the reports on aerial or land surveys of this region have mentioned the reproduction of this species, though unpublished aerial observations suggest that the species has been present during the 1980s. Outside Siberia, this species seems to be characterized by an irregular and scattered distribution of its breeding sites.