Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

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Adult

Color Photograph: © Corel Corp.

Immature

Color Photograph: © by and courtesy of John Cassady

California Gull (Larus californicus)

Color Photograph: California Department of Fish and Game

Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 22 to 26 inches.

Adult: Head white, sometimes with its upper half shaded with gray. Bill yellow. Back and wings primarily gray. However apex of the wing black with white patches and the inner margin of the wing white. Breast and underside white. Tail white. Legs pink to flesh colored.

Immature: Head, back and wings mottled brown. Rear half of wings darker brown and unmottled. Tail completely brown.

Similar Species:  The Herring Gull is most likely to be confused with the Ring-billed Gull. Adults of the Ring-billed Gull have a conspicuous black ring around the apex of the bill. This ring is absent in the Herring Gull. The immature of the Ring-billed Gull is a mixture of gray and red-brown striations. In contrast the Herring Gull is mottled brown. The tail of the immature Ring-billed Gull has a white base to its tail. The gull species most similar to the Herring Gull is the western North American California Gull (Larus californicus) (see picture lower left). The California Gull is consistently smaller than the Herring Gull and its legs are greenish to yellow-green, not pink.

Breeding Range (see map below): The Herring Gull breeds throughout the tundra, boreal forest, and transitional forest zones of North America. The species is resident (breeds and overwinters) along the Atlantic Coast from Newfoundland in the north to the Carolinas in the south. The breeding and overwintering ranges of this species have been rapidly expanding because of increases in the number of dumps and landfills throughout the continent.

Overwintering Range:  The species is resident along the Atlantic Coast and overwinter along the southern Atlantic Coast, the Gulf Coast, and the Pacific Coast. The species overwintering range also includes the Mississippi River and parts of the Great Lakes.

Habitat: The Herring Gull is found on lakes, rivers, coastlines, and just about every other aquatic habitat. The species is also common in garbage dumps and in coastal urban areas.

Food: This species is omnivorous and is a notorious scavenger and food thief. However it catches its own food and eats a variety of marine and fresh water fish and invertebrates.

Behavior: The Herring Gull is by far the commonest gull in North America. The species is seen in great numbers at garbage dumps looking for food. It also steals food from other bird species and hunts for a wide variety of aquatic fish and invertebrates. It is commonly seen dropping shellfish on rocks, roads, and parking lots to break them open. The voice is a irritating series of loud raucous calls.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of 2 to 4 brown-spotted olive-brown eggs. The eggs are laid in a mound of dead grass or seaweed placed on the ground or on a cliff. The species is a colonial nester.