Herring Gull Larus argentatus   [Pontoppidan, 1763]

Other Names Trends & Distribution Breeding & Survival Biometrics Books & Links

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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 ( Details )
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (A)  Resident Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies: argenteus (R), argentatus (W) recorded in Britain (of 4 subsp. in the world)
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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: JNCC Seabird Monitoring Programme
Distribution: Atlas Maps    (Local Atlases)   
British Population Size:
    Summer: 131 thousand pairs in 1998-02
    Winter: 730 thousand individuals 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
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WBD(II*)
Survey Results: BirdTrack
Seabird 2000 (warning: link to large pdf)

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 (Annual Totals)
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: 30 years 11 months 15 days (set in 2009)
Summary of Ringing Recoveries       

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

European Herring Gull
Has Included Larus michahellis , Has Included Larus smithsonianus , Has Included Larus 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:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead