Gull populations respond to the opening and closing of a major New York City landfill

Nine different species of gull have been sighted on Staten Island, NY, during the annual Christmas Bird Count surveys. Hover over a species to see its exact count in a given year.

Two years are of note:

1948: A landfill opened on Staten Island, on what was previously salt marsh habitat. Attracted to the trash, gull numbers increased as the landfill grew, peaking at well over 100,000 gulls in the 1990s.

2001: The landfill closes. The space transitions into grassland habitat. Gull populations decrease dramatically, settling at around 10,000 individuals.

CREATED: APRIL 2024 | SAMANTHA MONIER | monier.samantha@gmail.com

Gull populations respond to the opening and closing of a major New York City landfill

Hit the ‘Play’ button or scroll through the years manually to see how the abundance of these species has changed over time