Belcher's Gull

Belcher's Gull

Larus belcheri

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
80–90% · Very likely
overall probability at Paracas National Reserve
389 Verified records at Paracas National Reserve
March Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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. The name commemorates the British explorer Sir Edward Belcher, who performed survey work on the Pacific coast of South America. Wikipedia →

80–90% of wildlife watchers report a Belcher's Gull sighting in Paracas National Reserve, based on 389 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

📅 Monthly Probability

80–90
Jan
70–80
Feb
90–100
Mar
80–90
Apr
80–90
May
80–90
Jun
80–90
Jul
80–90
Aug
70–80
Sep
80–90
Oct
80–90
Nov
70–80
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Paracas National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
80–90%
2 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
Insufficient data
3 Huascarán National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Belcher's Gull in Paracas National Reserve?

About 83% of wildlife watchers report a Belcher's Gull sighting in Paracas National Reserve, based on 389 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Belcher's Gull in Paracas National Reserve?

March has the highest sighting rate for Belcher's Gull in Paracas National Reserve in our monthly data.

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