Herring Gull
Larus argentatus
Summary 6
Herring gull is a common name for several birds in the genus Larus and may refer to:
Presence at Rosewood 7
Months Present: December-March
"Months Present" obtained from Lahontan Audubon Society at https://www.nevadaaudubon.org/birds-in-town.html
Similar species 8
Adult European herring gulls are similar to ring-billed gulls, but are much larger, have pinkish legs, and a much thicker yellow bill with more pronounced gonys. First-winter European herring gulls are much browner, but second- and third-winter birds can be confusing since soft part colours are variable and third-year herring gull often show a ring around the bill. Such birds are most easily distinguished by the larger size and larger bill of European herring gull.
The European herring gull can be differentiated from the closely related, slightly smaller lesser black-backed gull by the latter's dark grey (not actually black) back and upper wing plumage and its yellow legs and feet.
The smaller silver gull is largely confined to Australia.
Voice 8
Herring gulls are noisy, gregarious birds with distinctive vocalisations. Their loud, laughing call is particularly well known, and is often seen as a symbol of the seaside in countries such as the United Kingdom. The European herring gull also has a yelping alarm call and a low, barking anxiety call. The most distinct and best known call produced by European herring gulls – which is shared with their American relative – is the raucous territorial 'long call', used to signal boundaries to other birds; it is performed by the gull initially with its head bowed, then raised as the call continues.
European herring gull chicks and fledglings emit a distinctive, repetitive, high-pitched 'peep', accompanied by a head-flicking gesture when begging for food from or calling to their parents. Adult gulls in urban areas also exhibit this behaviour when fed by humans.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Andrew Thompson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Andrew Thompson
- (c) Ty Smith, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ty Smith
- (c) Марина Горбунова-Ëлкина, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Марина Горбунова-Ëлкина
- (c) Owen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Owen
- (c) Andrea Kreuzhage, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Andrea Kreuzhage
- Adapted by Hayden Wright from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herring gull
- (c) Hayden Wright, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
- Adapted by Hayden Wright from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_herring_gull
