Herring Gull
Larus argentatus
Where is it found?
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Coastal and urban areas.
Diet and foraging method
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Highly opportunistic. Hunt at the surface of the water and plunge-dive for fish, scour the shoreline for molluscs and crustaceans to eat, hunt on sea cliffs eating eggs, chicks and small birds. Herring Gulls also scavenge for food and will happily live off human food waste hence their encroachment into human habitations and their prevalence near landfill sites.
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Key adaptations
Limited dark plumage helps Gulls to keep cool on hot summers days when they are incubating their eggs. They also pant to cool off.
Like other seabirds, Herring Gulls have specialised salt glands near their nostrils to allow them to drink salt water and get rid of the excess salt they consume.
Like other seabirds, Herring Gulls have specialised salt glands near their nostrils to allow them to drink salt water and get rid of the excess salt they consume.
Social organisation and mating system
Live in colonies
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Usually form monogamous breeding pairs, however, sometimes polygyny occurs.
Did you know that...?
A herring Gull has been observed using bread as bait to catch goldfish in ponds. The Gull ate none of the bread itself indicating that it was using the bread deliberately as a tool to catch fish.
Taxonomy
Picture credits:
Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
"Larus argentatus, Herring Gull, Cornwall" by Stu's Images. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Larus_argentatus,_Herring_Gull,_Cornwall.jpg#/media/File:Larus_argentatus,_Herring_Gull,_Cornwall.jpg
"Nesting Herring Gull" by John Haslam from Dornoch, Scotland - Nesting Herring Gull. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nesting_Herring_Gull.jpg#/media/File:Nesting_Herring_Gull.jpg
"Herring Gull chick in nest with egg" by John Haslam - originally posted to Flickr as Herring Gull Chick. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Herring_Gull_chick_in_nest_with_egg.jpg#/media/File:Herring_Gull_chick_in_nest_with_egg.jpg
"Juvenile Möwe 2" by 4028mdk09 - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Juvenile_M%C3%B6we_2.JPG#/media/File:Juvenile_M%C3%B6we_2.JPG
"Larus argentatus by Malene Thyssen". Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Larus_argentatus_by_Malene_Thyssen.jpg#/media/File:Larus_argentatus_by_Malene_Thyssen.jpg
"Larus argentatus, Herring Gull, Cornwall" by Stu's Images. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Larus_argentatus,_Herring_Gull,_Cornwall.jpg#/media/File:Larus_argentatus,_Herring_Gull,_Cornwall.jpg
"Nesting Herring Gull" by John Haslam from Dornoch, Scotland - Nesting Herring Gull. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nesting_Herring_Gull.jpg#/media/File:Nesting_Herring_Gull.jpg
"Herring Gull chick in nest with egg" by John Haslam - originally posted to Flickr as Herring Gull Chick. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Herring_Gull_chick_in_nest_with_egg.jpg#/media/File:Herring_Gull_chick_in_nest_with_egg.jpg
"Juvenile Möwe 2" by 4028mdk09 - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Juvenile_M%C3%B6we_2.JPG#/media/File:Juvenile_M%C3%B6we_2.JPG
"Larus argentatus by Malene Thyssen". Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Larus_argentatus_by_Malene_Thyssen.jpg#/media/File:Larus_argentatus_by_Malene_Thyssen.jpg