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Bird name:

Herring Gull

Larus argentatusOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Skuas, Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)
Codes: Common Name: HERG Scientific Name: LARARG ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176824
Least Concern
 
Herring Gull_2
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Herring Gull Variations

Herring Gull
Juvenile
Herring Gull
Herring Gull Body
Adult
Herring Gull Body

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
The orange "blossum" replaces the lid of a jelly jar.
Attract Orioles with Fruit
Sliced orange secures easily to the center of the ring. Low cost.
Attract with Nectar
Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
Charm and Attraction
Lovely copper umbrella keeps fruit cool and looks great.

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

 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

Splitbar
Range Map for Herring Gull

Related Birds

Ring-billed Gull
Glaucous Gull
California Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Heermann's Gull
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Thayer's Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Northern Gannet
.
Family Gull (Laridae)_blue
Species Larus argentatus
Length22 - 26 Inches
Wingspan56 Inches

Herring Gull

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.

● 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.
Herring Gull Body Illustration_2
● 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 BodyX
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
BreastX
The upper front part of a bird.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

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.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX