The grey gull, also known as garuma gull (Leucophaeus modestus), is unusual in that it has a unique desert-nesting habit, choosing the arid Atacama Desert in northern Chile for breeding, hundreds of kilometers from the coast. During the non-breeding season, it is found along the Pacific coast, where it feeds on invertebrates like mole crabs, fish, and by scavenging at fishing boats. The parents make long daily trips to the sea to feed their young, and their grey plumage is likely an adaptation to the hot, sunny desert environment. Its non-breeding range includes Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile, and it has been recorded in the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
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