Table 1
Estimated number of pairs of Ring-billed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls, and Black-legged Kittiwakes nesting in eastern Canada

Province
Waterbody -- 
RegionCensus Year(s)Ring-billed GullHerring GullGreat Black-backed GullBlack-legged KittiwakeTotalReference(s)
Atlantic Canada
Newfoundland and Labrador
East Coast --
Labrador1998–20038121836310315361Robertson and Elliot 2002; Robertson et al. 2002; CWS unpubl. (Robertson,Chaulk)
East Coast and Gulf of St. Lawrence --   Newfoundland2000–200621090531975624654690103816Boyne et al. 2011; Robertson et al. 2001; CWS unpubl. (Robertson)
Total: 1098632193660954793105352 
Nova Scotia
EastCoast 2002–200407110110448218236Boyne and Beukens 2004; CWS unpubl. (Boyne; Chardine, J., CWS)
Bay of Fundy 2002–200401127186802995Boyne and Beukens 2004; CWS unpubl. (Chardine, J., CWS)
Gulf of St. Lawrence 2002–2004011656790773Boyne and Beukens 2004; CWS unpubl. (Chardine, J., CWS)
 Total: 083531347917222004 
Prince EdwardIsland
Gulf of St. Lawrence 20046911795111003596Boyne and McKnight 2005
New Brunswick
Bay of Fundy 1998–2004614233218720216628Mawhinney et al. 1999; Kehoe and Diamond 2001; Ronconi and Wong 2003; McAlpine et al. 2005; CWS unpubl. (Robertson)
Gulf of St. Lawrence 20054367240610253738171Boyne et al. 2006; Davis et al. 2011
 Total: 437316639321257524799 
Atlantic Canada Total: 16050589802441055540155751 
Québec
Gulf of St. Lawrence --Iles-de-la-Madeleine2007054577971758499Rail 2009
 Gaspé Peninsula200232835513413223764946940Cotter and Rail 2007
 Anticosti Island200402001664216662CWS unpubl. (Banque Informatisée des Oiseaux Marins du Québec, BIOMQ);
 North Shore1990–200546561129242022313724644Rail and Cotter 2007; Roberge 2004; Société Duvetnor 1999; Bédard and Nadeau 1995; CWS unpubl. (BIOMQ)
Sub-total: 93961862341236460396745 
St. Lawrence River and Estuary 1990–20075999491232124113617118298Bédard and Nadeau 1995; CWS and Société Duvetnor 2001, 2006; Mousseau 2007; SPEE 2008; CWS unpubl. (Brousseau, BIOMQ)
Québec Total: 10934530944653468220215043 
Ontario
Great Lakes --Lake Superior1999–20005857118950017752Hebert et al. 2008; Morris et al. 2009; CWS unpubl. (Ontario database)
 Lake Huron1999–2000993812238990121779CWS unpubl. (Ontario database)
 Lower Great Lakes19992749254497270279449Morris et al. 2003; Weseloh et al. 2003; CWS unpubl. (Ontario database)
OntarioTotal: 38016338781360418980 
Grand Total  50555812870530980123760789774 

1 This total is a minimum because Labrador has been only partially surveyed for nesting gulls; furthermore, this total includes 771 pairs from mixed Herring Gull and Great-Black-backed Gull colonies for which species was not identified.
2 Includes a Black-legged Kittiwake colony (Cape St. Mary's; 10,000 pairs) that was last censused in 1979.
3 Includes a Ring-billed Gull colony (Pointe de Sandy Beach; 1172 pairs; BIOMQ) that was surveyed in 2004; in 2002 this colony was unoccupied.
4 All Migratory Bird Sanctuaries were surveyed in 2005; colony data from Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve and elsewhere date from 1990–1999.
5 Most colonies surveyed between 2001 and 2007, however a few were last surveyed in 1990 or 1995.

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Table 2
Number and average size of Ring-billed Gull and Black-legged Kittiwake colonies in eastern Canada

   Ring-billed GullBlack-legged Kittiwake
    Colony Size Colony Size
ProvinceWaterbodyRegionNo.
Colonies
AverageSDMinMaxNo.
Colonies
AverageSDMinMax
Atlantic Canada
Newfoundland 
and Labrador
East CoastLabrador3272435025244954
 East Coast and Gulf of St. LawrenceNewfoundland70na1   95na   
Total: 73    97    
Nova ScotiaBay of Fundy 0    0    
 East Coast 0    32746180
 Gulf of St. Lawrence 0    190 9090
Total: 0    44349190
Prince Edward IslandGulf of St. Lawrence           
Total: 3230253695220    
New BrunswickBay of Fundy 16 6621014768134
 Gulf of St. Lawrence 22184642138222931245759166
Total: 3145812586222951154859166
Maritime Provinces Total: 6844105412229983591166
Atlantic Canada Total: 79    106    
QuébecGulf of St. LawrenceIles-de-la-Madeleine0    979794632307
  Gaspé Peninsula21418347117216631623535439318550
  Anticosti Island0    5332870132315870
  North Shore18365871137451520942471659
Sub-total: 20470889137454514364011318550
 St. Lawrence River-Estuary 166247126775510001230171722555
Québec Total: 36303788191510005711973600218550
OntarioGreat LakesLake Superior20293937142340    
  Lake Huron96103522571105780    
  Lower Great Lakes367637118241455100    
 Ontario Total: 152250166351455100    
Grand Total 267    163    

1 na=not available; for most colonies only an approximate size was recorded (i.e., small, medium, large, or very large; see Methods).

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Table 3
Number and average size of Herring Gull and Great Black-backed Gull colonies in eastern Canada

   Herring GullGreat Black-backed Gull
    Colony Size Colony Size
ProvinceWaterbodyRegionNo.
Colonies
AverageSDMinMaxNo.
Colonies
AverageSDMinMax
Atlantic Canada
Newfoundland 
and Labrador
East CoastLabrador16143111279648163
 East Coast andGulf of St. LawrenceNewfoundland269na1   196na   
Total: 285    292    
Nova ScotiaBay of Fundy 81417440240111702323753
 East Coast 8287131170719457871628
 Gulf of St. Lawrence 2587181081057525141
Total: 92911271707215631011753
Prince Edward IslandGulf of St. Lawrence           
Total: 8224287285514791221435
New BrunswickBay of Fundy 44323937159264450651285
 Gulf of St. Lawrence 1121929649371664533175
Total: 55303847159266054621285
Maritime Provinces Total: 1551735241592628962951753
Atlantic Canada Total: 440    581    
QuébecGulf of St. LawrenceIles-de-la-Madeleine143959219615521431558
  Gaspé Peninsula2818322719022357831289
  Anticosti Island3763140    
  North Shore433011057169006730571329
Sub-total: 882127531690010539801558
 St. Lawrence River-Estuary 5721621218995941621286
 Québec Total: 1452136001690016440741558
OntarioGreat LakesLake Superior318375114070    
  Lake Huron413542171345791011
  Lower Great Lakes617416411067933111
 Ontario Total: 79249166134571822111
Grand Total 1377    763    

1 na=not available; for most colonies only an approximate size was recorded (i.e., small, medium, large, or very large; see Methods).

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