Whooper Swan	White-tailed Sea-Eagle	Stellar's Sea-Eagle	Hazel Grouse
Japanese Crane	Far Eastern Curlew	Latham's Snipe	Ross's Gull
Blakiston's Fish-Owl	Ural Owl	Black Woodpecker	Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Eurasian Skylark	Long-tailed Tit	Snow Bunting	Common Redpoll
Tree Sparrow	Eurasian Jay	Northern Raven	Buller's Shearwater*
Swan Goose*	Ashy Minivet*	To Checklist	To Bird Guide Top

Ross's Gull   Rhodostethia rosea    Himekubiwa-kamome

A small gull about the size of a pigeon, Ross's Gull breeds in the Arctic region and was thought to be only a very rare visitor to Japan, but it is sometimes seen in the Okhotsk region during periods when the drift ice has closed in along the coast. We believe Ross's Gull actually comes almost every year. It is normally seen in small groups of several birds, though it has occasionally been seen in large flocks of around 100. A large flock like this was observed in January 2001.

Though the depth of color varies with individuals, the adults have a rose pink hue over their entire body, and they have attractive eyes that are large relative to their heads.

	Adult in winter plumage (Shari fishing port, 25 December 2005)
	Adult in winter plumage (Mouth of the Shari River, 7 January 2001)
	Adult in winter plumage (Mouth of the Shari River, 7 January 2001)