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European Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) — photo 1 of 5
© Kulac CC BY-SA 3.0

Gulls and terns · Shorebirds

European Herring Gull

Larus argentatus

Year-round

Voice

Song

Tanguy Loïs

2:00

Alarm

Philippe_Grange

0:14

Call

Joost van Bruggen

0:41

How to recognize it

  • Large white-headed gull, noticeably bigger than most urban gulls

  • Pale grey back, black wingtips with white spots

  • Pinkish legs, yellow bill with a red spot

  • Loud harsh laughing call, also mewing or barking

About the species

The European Herring Gull is a large, confident gull that stands out on water, along the shore, or on rooftops. Adults look pale and clean-lined, while young gulls stay brown and mottled for years, so they change a lot as they grow up.

It is noisy, bold, and very sure of itself. It glides for long stretches, moves well on the ground, and has a harsh, rough voice with loud calls and a mewing note; in towns it does not shy away from people and may snatch food in the air.

It uses seacoasts, large lakes, rivers, marshes, and more and more urban places. It eats fish, crustaceans, molluscs, carrion, scraps, as well as grain, berries, and other available food; northern populations move south in winter, while many stay all year round.

Did you know?

  • Tap-dancing for earthworms

    Herring gulls foot-paddle on damp grass — running on the spot to imitate rainfall and trick earthworms into surfacing.

  • Confused by public holidays

    Herring gulls have learned the human work week — turning up at landfills on weekdays but apparently confused by public holidays, when they wait for hours in vain.

  • City gulls quit migrating

    Urban herring gulls have begun abandoning migration entirely — twice as many city birds stay put year-round compared with their rural counterparts, driving a behavioural split between the two populations.

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Sources