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Herring Gull Larus argentatus [Pontoppidan, 1763]
Other Names
Trends & Distribution
Breeding & Survival
Biometrics
Books & Links
Order:
Charadriiformes
Family:
Laridae
BTO Codes:
HG, HERGU
EURING No:
5920
Number in Britain:
131 thousand pairs (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK:
RED
European:
Not a species of concern
Global:
Least Concern
Links to: Images
Videos
Sound
Status in UK:
(A) Resident Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies:
argenteus (R), argentatus (W), cachinnans (S), smithsonianus (V) recorded in Britain (of 4 subsp. in the world)
.
Length:
60 cm
Wingspan:
144 cm
Weight:
M: 1.2 kg F: 948
Scientific name from:
Gr.: laros =a seabird
and L.: argentum =silver + -tatus =ornamented with
World Distribution:
BREEDS: N Eurasia, n&e North America, WINTERS: s Europe, s Asia, Central America
Habitat:
Seacoasts, lakes, rivers
Diet:
Omnivorous, but mostly animal material, also scavenges and pirates food
TitBit:
The familiar 'sea gull' (it can be heard in the theme tune to R4's Desert Island Discs ), they first developed the habit of nesting on roofs in the 1920s in SW England
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
No population trend available
Distribution:
New Atlas )
British Population Size:
Summer:
131 thousand pairs
in 1998-02
Winter:
696 to 763 thousand indviduals
in 1993
First Record:
8th Century
Latest Survey:
Mitchell, P.I. et al. (2004) Seabird populations of Britain and Ireland Poyser, London
Conservation Status:
RED
because
Recent Breeding Population Decline (1969-2007),
Recent Non-breeding Population Decline (1981-2007),
Previous Assessments:
2002-2007
AMBER
1996-2001
AMBER
Races of Concern:
argenteus RED (Recent Decline) , argentatus GREEN
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
Most frequent in:
Open Shore
And found in:
Estuaries
Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:
European Population Size:
Summer:
660 to 900 thousand pairs
Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WBD(II*)
Survey Results:
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
71 x 49 mm
Egg Weight:
92.0 g (of which 7 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
278
Clutch Size:
3 eggs
Incubation:
28- 30 days
by the:
Female (occ. Male)
Fledging:
35 - 40days
as:
Semi-precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid:
Unavailable
Number of Broods:
1
Number Ringed:
5238
Adult Survival:
0.880
± 0.013
(M:0.858
± 0.020;
F:0.989
± 0.016)
Juvenile Survival:
0.630 (to age 4 )
Age at First Breeding:
4
years
Typical Lifespan:
12
years
Maximum Recorded Age:
28yr 1m
(The Netherlands: 34yr 9m)
Biometrics
Ring Size:
G
Wing Length
Adult:
414.5 ± 19.7
Range
385 - 448 mm, N =1125
Juvenile:
405.7 ± 20.1
375 - 440 mm, N =582
Male:
Insufficient Data
Female:
Insufficient Data
Weight
Adult:
970.6 ± 152.3
Range
757.0 - 1264 g , N =974
Juvenile:
956.5 ± 343.3
710.0 - 1210 g , N =473
Male:
Insufficient Data
Female:
Insufficient Data
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
Other Names
Includes L. michahellis , L. smithsonianus , L. cachinnans
Gaelic:
Faoileag-an-sgadain
Welsh:
Gwylan y Penwaig
Danish:
Sølvmåge
Dutch:
Zilvermeeuw
Finnish:
Harmaalokki
French:
Goéland argenté
German:
Silbermöwe
Hungarian:
Ezüstsirály
Icelandic:
Silfurmáfur
Irish:
Faoileán Scadán
Italian:
Gabbiano reale nordico
Norwegian:
Gråmåke
Polish:
Mewa srebrzysta
Portuguese:
Gaivota-arg?ntea
Spanish:
Gaviota argéntea
Swedish:
Gråtrut
Local Names: White Maa
For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Tinbergen, N. 1953 The herring gull's world Collins, London
[598.615 TIN]
See Also:
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
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