European Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) [XC871254]
by Sergi Carreras from Pier (near Grutness), Shetland Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom (flight call)
European Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) [XC878599]
by Sergi Carreras from sttv (near Frederiksberg), Frederiksberg Municipality, Capital Region of Denmark, Denmark (flight call)
Nest
Large cup of vegetation on the ground, sometimes on buildings.
Eggs (Guide)
2 - 4, usually 3; smooth, variable, pale blue-green, olive, buff or various shades of brown, blotched and spotted with darker brown; oval. Incubation: 28 - 30 days; by both sexes.
Subspecies
Larus cachinnans (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into Caspian Gull (Larus cachinnans) and Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis); Armenian Gull (Larus armenicus) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993; AERC TAC) has been lumped into Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis). These changes to the BirdLife checklist follow examination by the BirdLife Taxonomic Working Group (BTWG) of a recent review of large white-headed gulls in the Holarctic by Collinson et al. (2008) and associated literature referred to therein. The following species level treatment, shown with subspecific placements, has been adopted by the BTWG: Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) (with intermedius, graellsii, heuglini, taimyrensis and barabensis); Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) (with argenteus, smithsonianus, vegae and mongolicus); Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis) (with atlantis and armenicus) and Caspian Gull (Larus cachinnans).
Systematics of this species is complex. The closely related taxa were often treated as a ring of subtle subspecies, until the two extremes (Larus argentatus, Larus fuscus) met in western Europe and did not freely interbreed.
Many forms are now treated as separate species, since it is uncertain how to apply the biological species concept to the complex pattern of variation and interbreeding. Present species is reported to hybridize extensively with Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) in Iceland (but this disputed), with Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens) in Alaska, but rarely with Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) in Europe.
The following 5 subspecies are recognised:
smithsonianus Pontoppidan, 1763 - North America. Winters south to Central America. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Arctic Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus).
argenteus Brehm, CL & Schilling, 1822 - Iceland, Faeroes, British Is and western France to western Germany. Winters south to northern Iberia.
argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763 - Denmark and Fenno-Scandia, to eastern Kola Peninsula. Winters mostly in northern and western Europe.
vegae Palmén, 1887 - North-eastern, eastern. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, East-Siberian Gull (Larus vegae).
mongolicus Sushkin, 1925 - South-eastern Altai and Lake Baikal to Mongolia. Winters southern Asia. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Mongolian Gull (Larus mongolicus).
The Reader's Digest Book of British Birds 1980, 3rd Edition, Drive Publications Ltd ISBN 0 340 25308 8
Birds in Colour Campbell, B., 1960, Penguin Books Ltd
The Pocket Guide to Nest and Eggs Fitter, R.S.R., 1954, Collins
RSPB Handbook of British Birds Holden, P., Cleeves, T., 2002, A & C Black ISBN 0 7136 5713 8
Birds of Britain and Europe Sterry, P., et al., 2001, AA Publishing ISBN 0 7495 3068 5
The Popular Handbook of British Birds Hollom, P.A.D., 1973, H.F. & G. Witherby Ltd ISBN 0 85493 002 7
BirdLife International Species Factsheet