Larus argentatus

With their intense yellow eyes, herring gulls look quite agressive. Their downout brutal behavior contributes further to this poor image. They shamelessly steal bread from your hand and are seen as predators of young animals and eggs. However, it has never been proved that gulls are the cause of declining bird or other animal populations. What's more, they clean up lots of litter: ice cream cones that fall on the ground or french fries are gone in no time.

A large (23-26 inches) seagull, the Herring Gull is most easily identified by its black-tipped wings, pale yellow eye, pink legs, and yellow bill with red spot on the lower half. Winter and immature gulls of many species are notoriously difficult to identify as these birds may be splotched or streaked with brown on the head and breast. Male and female Herring Gulls are similar to one another in all seasons. The Herring Gull inhabits a wide portion of the Northern Hemisphere. In North America, this species breeds across Alaska, Canada, the Northern United States, and the Mid-Atlantic region. Populations breeding in southern Alaska, the Great Lakes, and the Mid-Atlantic region are non-migratory, while those breeding in the interior migrate south to the Pacific coast from southern Alaska south to central Mexico, along the coast and in the interior in the southeastern U.S., in eastern Mexico, in Central America, and in the West Indies. In Eurasia, the Herring Gull breeds in northern Europe and Asia, wintering south to North Africa and South Asia. Herring Gulls breed on rocky or sandy islands and beaches by lakes, in marshes, and along the coast. Similar habitats are utilized in winter as in summer. Herring Gulls eat a variety of foods, including crustaceans, fish, carrion, garbage, and, occasionally, other birds. Herring Gulls are most easily seen foraging for food along sandy beaches. In many areas, this is one of the most common “seagulls,” and may be seen foraging for refuse and carrion on the beach, flying over the water and plunging in to catch fish, or floating on the water’s surface while catching fish with its bill. This species is primarily active during the day.

Threat Status: Least concern

Belgian Coast, Belgian Exclusive Economic Zone, Djibouti, Eritrea, Eurasia, European waters (ERMS scope), Gulf of Maine, Gulf of Mexico, Irish Exclusive economic Zone, Kenya, North America, North West Atlantic, Polish Exclusive Economic Zone, Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone, Red Sea, Somalia, Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone, Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone, Tanzania, United Kingdom Exclusive Economic Zone, Wimereux

North America; range extends throughout the Canadian Atlantic and south to the Gulf of Mexico

The Herring Gull breeds in most of Canada and Alaska, as well as the north-east USA, on the northern coastline of Europe including inland Iceland, Ireland, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom, and in the north of Russia from the centre to its eastern tip. Some populations winter further south, being found in much of the USA, Mexico and Central America, on the northern coasts of Spain and France, in much of Japan and on the south-eastern coast of China¹.

Larus argentatus is found across Eurasia and North America. The herring gull geographic range stretches across the northern hemisphere through Alaska, northern Canada, and Russia. Herring gulls are found on both North American coasts, having gradually extended in range down the Atlantic coast. They can be found year-round in the lower Great Lakes area, but generally breed in the northern area of their range and winter in the south along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, the Gulf of Mexico, and on several Caribbean Islands.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); palearctic (Native )

Other Geographic Terms: holarctic

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: (>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)) BREEDING: northern Alaska across northern Canada (including southern Baffin Island) to northern Labrador, south to British Columbia, central Saskatchewan, northern Wisconsin, northern Ohio, and northern New York, and along coast to North Carolina or South Carolina. NON-BREEDING: Aleutians, Great Lakes, and Newfoundland south to Panama (increasingly regular in southern Central America), West Indies; occasional to frequent in Hawaii. Nonbreeders widespread in summer throughout range. Also occurs in Old World.

Northern Europe, Canada, coastal United States and along major river system.

Herring gulls are fairly large gulls. Male herring gulls range in size from 60 to 66 centimeters in length and 1050 and 1250 grams in weight, while female herring gulls range from 56 to 62 centimeters in length and 800 to 980 grams in weight. The wing span of herring gulls ranges from 137 to 146 centimeters. While male herring gulls are larger than female herring gulls, the sexes have similar plumage. Their heads and underparts are white, and they have light gray backs. Herring gulls have yellow bills with a red spot on the lower mandible and pink or flesh-colored legs. Herring gull outermost wing feathers are black and have a white spot. During winters, adult gulls have streaks of brown coloring on their heads. Adult herring gulls have golden eyes surrounded by a yellow-orange ring of skin.

Herring gulls take four years to acquire standard adult plumage and are mottled brown during their first four years. The eyes of immature herring gulls are dark brown, rather than golden, and are surrounded by blackish skin, rather than orange-yellow. Their bills are black and their legs are dark gray.

Herring gulls belong to a complex of gulls, all of which share similarities and may be confused with one another. Because of hybridization and other factors, the taxonomy of gulls is complicated. Great black-backed gulls (Larus marinus), are much larger than herring gulls and have a lighter bill and darker mantle. Lesser black-backed gulls (Larus fuscus) have a dark mantle and yellow legs. Both great and lesser black-backed gulls have occasionally hybridized with herring gulls. Ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) are smaller than herring gulls, with yellow legs in adulthood and possessing a bill with a distinct black ring and lacking a red spot. Thayer's gulls (Larus thayeri) are quite similar to herring gulls, but adult Thayer's gulls have dark eyes and much less black coloring under the wingtip. The species status of Thayer's gulls has been questioned. They may be a form of Larus argentatus or Iceland gulls (Larus glaucoides).  California gulls (Larus californicus) have yellowish green legs, a black spot in front of the red spot on the bill, and are smaller than herring gulls. Western gulls (Larus occidentalis) are similar in size but have a darker mantle. Glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens) are similar in color but somewhat larger in size compared to herring gulls, and have pale gray rather than black wingtips in addition to a dark iris and purplish skin around their eyes. Hybrids between western gulls and glaucous-winged gulls can appear quite like herring gulls, but often with less black wingtips. Mew gulls (Larus canus) are much smaller than herring gulls and have yellow legs and unmarked yellow bills.

Range mass: 800 to 1250 g.

Range length: 56 to 66 cm.

Range wingspan: 137 to 146 cm.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: male larger

Length: 64 cm

Weight: 1226 grams

Length: 56-66 cm, Wingspan: 137-142 cm

Length: 56-66 cm. Plumage: back grey; head and below white; outer primaries black with white mirrors on outer two; leading and trailing edges of upper wing white; inner wing linings white. Immature with head and neck streaked grey-brown; rest of plumage like adult but grey replaced by rusty brown. Bare parts: iris white to yellow; eyering vermilion; bill yellow with red patch near tip; feet and legs bright yellow, pink or bluish. Habitat: estuaries and marine shores. Uncommon palearctic visitor. <389><391><393>

Habitat and Ecology

Systems

• Terrestrial
• Freshwater
• Marine

Herring gulls tend to live and breed in coastal areas and generally only live inland in small numbers and near bodies of water. The most important habitat requirements are the nearby presence of a food source, distance from major predators, and shelter from prevailing winds. Herring gulls prefer to breed on flat ground on offshore islands, on the mainland these gulls prefer cliffs, where there is less risk of exposure to predatory mammals. Although herring gulls prefer to nest on rock or sand, highest breeding success has often been observed in birds that nest in vegetated areas. Herring gull foraging habitat is not typically the same as their nesting habitat; in coastal areas herring gulls search for food in the intertidal zone and at sea. Herring gulls are also found in coastal urban areas, nesting on roofs and eating urban refuse.

Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial ; saltwater or marine

Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; coastal

Other Habitat Features: urban

Depth range based on 81560 specimens in 5 taxa.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 36154 samples.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 0 - 1750
  Temperature range (°C): -0.326 - 26.954
  Nitrate (umol/L): 0.038 - 18.311
  Salinity (PPS): 5.715 - 36.874
  Oxygen (ml/l): 4.607 - 9.061
  Phosphate (umol/l): 0.037 - 1.130
  Silicate (umol/l): 0.565 - 16.169

Graphical representation

Depth range (m): 0 - 1750

Temperature range (°C): -0.326 - 26.954

Nitrate (umol/L): 0.038 - 18.311

Salinity (PPS): 5.715 - 36.874

Oxygen (ml/l): 4.607 - 9.061

Phosphate (umol/l): 0.037 - 1.130

Silicate (umol/l): 0.565 - 16.169
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

Comments: NON-BREEDING: Seacoasts, bays, estuaries, lakes, rivers, dumps. BREEDING: along rocky and sandy coasts, on tundra, on islands in larger lakes and rivers, or on sea cliffs. Most colonies are on low, rocky, grassy, or sandy islands with low sparse vegetation, but may nest in wide variety of habitats (see Spendelow and Patton 1988 for details on nesting habitat in several regions).

Ocean coasts, bays, beaches, lakes, piers, farmland, dumps, large lakes, along major river systems. Always near water.

Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Migrates north to northern breeding areas, arriving April-May (Bent 1921). Nonbreeders may not migrate. Migrants reach Costa Rica (mainly 1st and 2nd year birds) early November, most depart by mid-May (Stiles and Skutch 1989).

Herring gulls are opportunistic predators of marine invertebrates, fishes, insects, other seabirds, other birds, bird eggs, and are opportunistic scavengers of dead animals and garbage. Herring gulls are omnivorous but prefer animal foods. Herring gulls at sea forage in scattered groups that converge quickly once prey has been located; the birds follow foraging whales or even fishing boat nets, eating fish, squid, and zooplankton at the surface. Individual specialization in feeding is common, i.e., a particular bird will seek out the same type of food again and again. The type of food consumed differs by the given bird's location and the time of year. For example, in Newfoundland, herring gulls often eat mussels (Mytilus edulis) and refuse during incubation, switch to capelin (Mallotus villosus) when chicks hatch, and then switch to squid (Illex illecebrosus) later in the summer. Herring gulls appear to choose foods according to their dietary needs (such as during egg-laying) when sufficiently numerous food sources are available.

Animal Foods: birds; mammals; fish; eggs; carrion ; insects; mollusks; terrestrial worms; aquatic crustaceans; echinoderms; other marine invertebrates; zooplankton

Plant Foods: roots and tubers; seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit

Primary Diet: carnivore (Eats terrestrial vertebrates, Piscivore , Eats non-insect arthropods, Molluscivore ); omnivore

Comments: Feeds opportunistically mostly on various animals and garbage. Often a scavenger around bays and harbors. In Ohio, Belant et al. (1993) found that nearby landfills were unimportant as a food source to a nesting population; diet of adults and young was dominated by fishes.

Fish, crustaceans, mollusks, sea urchins, marine worms, birds, eggs, insects, garbage, and carrion.

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Animal / parasite / endoparasite
fluke of Cryptocotyle lingua endoparasitises small intestine of Larus argentatus

Animal / parasite / endoparasite
fluke of Diplostomum spathaceum endoparasitises small intestine of Larus argentatus
Other: major host/prey

Animal / parasite / endoparasite
fluke of Spelotrema excellens endoparasitises small intestine of Larus argentatus

Though Larus argentatus is a predator of other birds, its attacks on predators sometimes serve to protect birds such as eiders (Somateria mollissima) and puffins (Fratercula artica) which live nearby. Herring gull consumption of dead animals on land and at sea is a form of biodegradation.

Ecosystem Impact: biodegradation

The preference of jerring gulls for living on cliff edges and on rocky off-shore islands with available hiding spots for chicks reflects anti-predator behavior. When a predator is first seen, herring gulls give an alarm call. If a predator approaches, herring gulls give a warning call and then take flight. Herring gulls mob flying predators by diving and striking with beaks and feet, and also dive at terrestrial predators, striking then with wings and feet, rather than with beaks. If a chick gives a shrill waver, its parents attack the involved predator while other herring gulls make intense calls described as "long-call notes."

Known Predators:

• bald eagles (Haliaetus leucocephalus)
• peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus)
• gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolis)
• great horned owls (Bubo virginianus)
• red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)
• domestic dogs (Canis lupis familiaris)
• harbor seals (Phoca vitulina)
• gray seals (Halichoerus grypus)
• northern harriers (Circus cyaeneus)
• short-eared owls (Asio flammeus)
• common ravens (Corvus corax)
• black-crowned night-herons (Nycticorax nycticorax)
• great blue herons (Ardea herodias)
• raccoons (Procyon lotor)
• domestic cats (Felis catus)
• mink (Neovison vison)

Larus argentatus preys on:
berries
Microtus
Lagopus
Pagurus
Pagurus maclaughlinae
Libinia dubia
Pinixia floridana
Neopanope texana
Callinectes sapidus
Processa bermudiensis
Penaeus duoarum
Palaemonetes floridanus
Anchoa mitchilli
Menidia beryllina
Laridae
Cyprinodon variegatus
Somateria mollissima
Sprattus sprattus
Clupea harengus
Pholis gunnellus
Platichthys flesus
Salmo trutta
Crangon crangon
Littorina littorea
Cerastoderma edule
Larus californicus
Asio flammeus

Based on studies in:
Russia (Tundra)
USA: Florida (Estuarine)
Scotland (Estuarine)

This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.

Larus argentatus is prey of:
Cryptocotyle lingua
Himasthla elongata
Renicola roscorita
Cryptocotyle jejuna
Maritrema subdolum
Parvatrema affine

Based on studies in:
Scotland (Estuarine)

This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.

Fox predation may result in reproductive failure of local breeding colonies (Southern et al. 1985).

Herring gulls have no song, but have a complex system of anywhere from 8 to perhaps 15 calls; two are used by nestlings and another three are used only by breeding adults. Various calls serve to identify returning partners, demonstrate aggression, warn the colony of predators, and to dispute territory with neighboring gulls. When males are disputing territory, they may pull at grass with their beaks as part of their demonstration. Chicks begin making begging calls to demand food upon hatching; the call grows more intense as they grow and by 5 weeks of age, a chick begs by lifting its head with each peep and holding its head hunched against its body. When chicks are pursued, they emit a shrill waver. The begging call and shrill waver exhibited by chicks are both similar to noises that adult gulls make. Chicks also peck at the red spot on their parent's bills in order to stimulate food regurgitation.

Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic

Other Communication Modes: duets

Herring gulls live up to 30 years of age, but many die earlier, especially as chicks. Causes of mortality include injuries, being shot or poisoned by fishermen, ingesting contaminants such as bacteria and lead (especially in the Great Lakes, where many chicks have shown deformities related to toxins), fishing lines and nets, and occasional predation by predators such as owls and foxes. The dangers presented to Larus argentatus in the Great Lakes by contaminants have decreased since the 1980s, when contaminant levels began to decline. Most deaths occur during breeding, when both adults and young are vulnerable.

Range lifespan
Status: wild: 31 (high) years.

Maximum longevity: 49 years

Herring gulls are almost always monogamous, with rare cases of 1 male and 2 females occupying a territory and incubating 1 or 2 nests. The secondary female rarely achieves breeding success. Pairs are formed on the male's territory or in loafing areas. Males and females choose territory for egg-laying together, once they have paired. Males regurgitate food for females before eggs are laid. Any late arrivals pair only after early-nesting pairs have already begun breeding. Pair bonds are maintained for the life of both partners. If a male fails to provide enough food to the female during egg formation or if the partners fail to synchronize their eggs (leaving eggs unattended and often lost or eaten), the pair may separate. Within the colony, pairs nest as far apart as space allows.

There are no displays specific to courtship, but females usually approach males in a hunched posture, producing a begging call. The male responds by assuming an upright posture or mew-calling (see Pierotti & Good for more information on specific types of calls). Head-tossing occurs repeatedly by both male and female and the male regurgitates food for the female; if she eats it, copulation often happens immediately. Otherwise, the female may walk away and prevent copulation. Males jump on females' backs with wings outspread in order to copulate. Mate-guarding is most intense in the week prior to egg laying. Males whose mates have already laid eggs may attempt to force copulation on neighboring incubating females; no such attempt has ever been observed as successful.

Mating System: monogamous ; polygynous

Herring gulls breed during spring, pairing around mid-March and laying eggs by mid-May. Adults breed beginning around four years of age, although breeding for the first time at three or five years of age is also observed. Females take 4 to 6 days to lay 3-egg clutches, and the eggs are incubated by both parents for about four weeks. Chicks are able to leave the nest on foot after just one day. Chicks fledge after about six weeks and are fed in the territory where they were born for until about 12 to 15 weeks old. Occasionally, they are cared for by parents off territory for as long as 6 months.

Breeding interval: Herring gulls breed once yearly.

Breeding season: Herring gulls breed from April to June, including nesting and copulation.

Range eggs per season: 1 to 3.

Average eggs per season: 3.

Average time to hatching: 30 days.

Range birth mass: 60 to 75 g.

Average fledging age: 6 weeks.

Range time to independence: 24 (high) weeks.

Average time to independence: 12 to 15 weeks.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 4 years.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 4 years.

Key Reproductive Features: seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)

Both male and female parents incubate eggs. The female spends more time incubating than the male does, and incubates at night. The male spends more time away from the nest, procuring food for the female. Many parents remove broken shells once chicks have hatched. Chicks are semiprecocial at hatching, with gray and black down and open eyes. After one week they are able to run around on their own. Chicks are protected by both parents and, during dangerous weather, are brooded until 10 days of age. Chicks fledge at about 6 weeks of age and are fed by parents on parental territory until they are 11 to 12 weeks old; so long as chicks continue to beg, they may receive food from parents until about 6 months of age. Males feed more often before fledging, females feed chicks more after fledging. Studies have found that herring gull parents can feed lead-poisoned chicks, which are generally lighter than normal chicks when studied in the laboratory, enough so that the chicks maintain a close-to-average weight (Burger and Gochfeld, 2000). Chicks are fed regurgitated food that consists of small prey such as small fishes, insects, and earthworms.

Parental Investment: pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Male, Female, Protecting: Male, Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Male, Female)

Lays clutch of 2-3 eggs, mostly May-June in U.S. Incubation 25-33 days, mostly by female. Young tended by both parents, first fly at about. 6-7 weeks. Attains adult plumage in 4 years. May form female-female pairs. Nests usually in colonies.

First breeds at 4-5 years old. Nests in colonies, frequently with other gull species. Nests on ground with windbreak nearby (rocks, etc.) 3 eggs, incubated by both sexes for 27-30 days. Parents feed young by regurgitating food. Capable of flight at 45-50 days old. Remain with parents for another month or so.

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 6
Specimens with Barcodes: 12
Species With Barcodes: 1

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

There are 5 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.  Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.

Download FASTA File

Year Assessed

Assessor/s

Reviewer/s

Contributor/s

Justification

History

• 2008
  Least Concern
• 2004
  Least Concern

Herring gull populations seem to be stable and are not recognized as at risk by conservation agencies.

US Migratory Bird Act: protected

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Accidental visitor.

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N5B,N5N : N5B: Secure - Breeding, N5N: Secure - Nonbreeding

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5B,N5N : N5B: Secure - Breeding, N5N: Secure - Nonbreeding

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

No official conservation status.

Population

Major Threats

Comments: Increased populations now pose a threat to terns and Atlantic puffin (Brown and Nettleship 1984). May pose threat to aircraft, especially where garbage dumps are near airports.

Conservation Actions

Management Requirements: See Griffin and Hoopes (1992) for management recommendations for JFK International Airport in New York. See Wronecki et al. (1989) for information on use of chemicals to reduce gull numbers.

Herring gulls have an adverse effect on humans in areas where their population size, combined with their foraging habits (e.g., stealing human food), makes them a pest.

Gulls, including Larus argentatus, are involved in approximately 20.3% of collisions between aircraft and birds. Collisions between aircraft and birds have caused 159,504 hours of aircraft downtime in a 13-year period in the United States and result in economic losses of hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

Herring gulls are significant enough in population size to permit their use as experimental subjects both within the wild and the laboratory, with potentially positive results for humans gleaned from the research. In addition, the wide geographic range of herring gulls makes the species useful for making observations concerning pollutants for a great number of areas. For example, herring gulls in the wild have been used to study the behavioral effects of lead, and herring gull eggs from large parts of North America have been used to analyze levels and spread of a number of chemical contaminants.

Herring gulls can contribute to beach sanitation by eating dead fish and trash left behind by humans. The gulls, in the pursuit of food, also sometimes lead fishermen to schools of herring. A study in Murmansk, Russia, found that because the diet of urban herring gulls consisted of about 45% rat and town animal remains, herring gulls may contribute to urban sanitation.

During the late 19th century, along the Atlantic coast, herring gulls were a useful source of eggs and were also pursued for the decorative value of their feathers.

Positive Impacts: food ; body parts are source of valuable material; research and education

Comments: Activity at landfills near airports may affect aircraft safety (Belant et al. 1993).