Herring Gull

Larus argentatusOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Skuas, Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)

Codes: Common Name: HERG Scientific Name: LARARG ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176824

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Herring Gull: Large gull, pale gray back and wings with black tips, white head, neck breast. White tail and underparts. Bill is yellow with red spot near tip; legs are pink. Strong steady flight with deep wing beats. Soars on thermals and updrafts. Most widespread North American Gull.

Range and Habitat

Herring Gull: Breeds from Alaska east across northern Canada to Maritime Provinces, south to British Columbia, north-central Canada, and Great Lakes, and along Atlantic coast to North Carolina. Winters in all but its northernmost breeding areas; also along coasts, rivers, and lakes in the southeast and west from southern Alaska south to Baja California; also found in Eurasia. Nests on open beaches, islands, or shorelines; stays on large lakes, wetlands, rivers, landfills and public areas during migration and winter.

Topo Map: Gull-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"kuk-kuk-kuk", "yucca-yucca-yucca"

Interesting Facts

Herring Gull flocks have a loose pecking order, based on size, aggressiveness, and physical strength.

Communication between these birds is complex and highly-developed, employing both calls and body language.

Two identical vocalizations can have very different meanings, depending on the positionings of the head, body, wings and tail relative to each other and the ground in the calling gull.

A group of gulls has many collective nouns, including a "flotilla", "gullery", "screech", "scavenging", and "squabble" of gulls.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Irina Rud-Volga

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Herring Gull

● Song: "kuk-kuk-kuk", "yucca-yucca-yucca"

● Foraging & Feeding: Herring Gull: Feeds mostly on aquatic invertebrates and small fish; gleans the ground for insects and worms; scavenges dead fish and garbage at landfills; also eats bird eggs and young.

● Breeding & nesting: Herring Gull: Two to three gray, green, blue, or brown eggs with brown, lavender, and black streaks are laid in a shallow ground scrape lined with plants and sticks. Incubation ranges from 23 to 27 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Herring Gull: California Gull is larger, has pink legs, yellow eyes, paler back, and thicker yellow bill. Ring-billed Gull is much smaller, has yellow legs, and a complete black ring on the bill.

Flight Pattern

Strong steady flight with deep wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Herring Gull: Breeds from Alaska east across northern Canada to Maritime Provinces, south to British Columbia, north-central Canada, and Great Lakes, and along Atlantic coast to North Carolina. Winters in all but its northernmost breeding areas; also along coasts, rivers, and lakes in the southeast and west from southern Alaska south to Baja California; also found in Eurasia. Nests on open beaches, islands, or shorelines; stays on large lakes, wetlands, rivers, landfills and public areas during migration and winter.

^BreedingMonogamous, Colonial

^PopulationAbundant

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight43.2 Ounces

Gull-like Body

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Herring Gull

Related Birds

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Range and Habitat

Topo Map: Gull-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

Interesting Facts

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Artist

Herring Gull

Flight Pattern