Montana Field Guide

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Montana Field Guides

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- Kingdom - Animals - Animalia
  - Phylum - Vertebrates - Craniata
    - Class - Birds - Aves
      - Order - Shorebirds - Charadriiformes
        
        Family - Gulls / Terns - Laridae
        
        Species - Short-billed Gull - Larus brachyrhynchus

Short-billed Gull - Larus brachyrhynchus

Other Names: Mew Gull, Larus canus

Image Copyright and Usage Information

Native Species

Global Rank: G5
State Rank: S4M
(see State Rank Reason below)

Agency Status
USFWS: MBTA
USFS:
BLM:
PIF:

External Links

State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)

Species is a rare migrant through Montana. Trend is unknown and it faces no known threats.

Short-billed Gull (Larus brachyrhynchus) Conservation Status Summary
State Rank: S4M
Review Date = 11/05/2025
See the complete Conservation Status Rank Report

How we calculate Conservation Status Ranks

General Description

In North America, the Mew Gull breeds in Alaska, northwestern Canada, and the coast of British Columbia and winters along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Baja California. The species is an uncommon migrant to Montana with fewer than five observations reported in the typical year (Moskoff et al. 2002, MTNHP 2019).

For a comprehensive review of the conservation status, habitat use, and ecology of this and other Montana bird species, please see Marks et al. 2016, Birds of Montana.

Species Range

Montana Range Range Descriptions

Migratory

Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database

Number of Observations: 197

(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version) Map Help and Descriptions

Relative Density

Recency

SUMMER (Feb 16 - Dec 14)

Direct Evidence of Breeding

Indirect Evidence of Breeding

No Evidence of Breeding

WINTER (Dec 15 - Feb 15)

Regularly Observed

Not Regularly Observed

(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)

Migration

Mew Gulls migrate along the west coast to California.

National Vegetation Classification System Groups Associated with this Species

Grassland

Lowland - Prairie Grassland

Rocky Mountain Low Elevation - Dry Grassland

Wetland and Riparian

Riparian and Wetland Forest

Lowland - Montane Riparian Deciduous Forest

Human Land Use

Agriculture

Pasture/Hay, Dryland

Stewardship Responsibility

References

Literature Cited AboveLegend: View Online Publication
- [MTNHP] Montana Natural Heritage Program. 2019. Point observation database. Helena, MT.
- Marks, J.S., P. Hendricks, and D. Casey. 2016. Birds of Montana. Arrington, VA. Buteo Books. 659 pages.
- Moskoff, W., and L. R. Bevier. 2002. Mew Gull (Larus canus). In The birds of North America, No. 687 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and American Ornithologists' Union.
Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?
- American Ornithologists’ Union [AOU]. 1998. Check-list of North American birds, 7th edition. American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. 829 p.
- Ehrlich, P., D. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1988. The birder’s handbook: a field guide to the natural history of North American birds. Simon and Schuster Inc. New York. 785 pp.
- Hays, R., R.L. Eng, and C.V. Davis (preparers). 1984. A list of Montana birds. Helena, MT: MT Dept. of Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
- Johnsgard, P.A. 1992. Birds of the Rocky Mountains with particular reference to national parks in the northern Rocky Mountain region. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. xi + 504 pp.
- Joslin, Gayle, and Heidi B. Youmans. 1999. Effects of recreation on Rocky Mountain wildlife: a review for Montana. [Montana]: Montana Chapter of the Wildlife Society.
- Lenard, S., J. Carlson, J. Ellis, C. Jones, and C. Tilly. 2003. P. D. Skaar's Montana bird distribution, 6th edition. Montana Audubon, Helena, MT. 144 pp.
- Montana Bird Distribution Committee. 2012. P.D. Skaar's Montana bird distribution. 7th Edition. Montana Audubon, Helena, Montana. 208 pp. + foldout map.
- Sibley, D. 2014. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY. 598 pp.
- Skaar, P. D., D. L. Flath, and L. S. Thompson. 1985. Montana bird distribution. Montana Academy of Sciences Monograph 3(44): ii-69.
- Skaar, P.D. 1969. Birds of the Bozeman latilong: a compilation of data concerning the birds which occur between 45 and 46 N. latitude and 111 and 112 W. longitude, with current lists for Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, impinging Montana counties and Yellowstone National Park. Bozeman, MT. 132 p.
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Citation for data on this website:
Short-billed Gull — Larus brachyrhynchus. Montana Field Guide. Montana Natural Heritage Program and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Retrieved on December 21, 2025, from https://FieldGuide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=ABNNM03280