Gulls

Many birdwatchers have a tendency to more or less ignore gulls, especially the larger ones that, following genetic studies, have been split into an array of very similar species. Especially the young birds are hard to identify.

Despite their raucous voice and aggressive and rapacious behaviour, I find these birds fascinating. As a group, they are very successful, found in almost all corners of the world, from the tropics to the poles, and from sea level to high plateaus, as long as there are water bodies.

Gulls belong to the family Laridae, which also includes terns and skimmers. Of the 22 genera and about 100 species in the family, gulls comprise 10 genera and about 53 species.

Gulls often follow ploughing tractors to snap worms, larvae, and other animals disturbed by the plough.

Gulls also follow ferries to eat edible garbage thrown overboard. The passengers also often feed the birds.

Previously, the majority of gulls were breeding in wetlands, and they were rather shy of people. During the last 50 years, however, many species have readily adapted to a life in cities, feeding mainly on garbage and often breeding on house roofs.

Many gulls live along the coast, but like to bathe in freshwater.

Below is an account of the gull species that I have managed to photograph around the world. I have probably misidentified some species, especially among the American gulls. I would be grateful to get corrections. You may use the address at the bottom of the page.

Chroicocephalus

This genus with 11 species of small to medium-sized gulls is found almost worldwide. Until recently, they were included in the genus Larus.

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek khroizo (‘to colour’) and kephale (‘head’), alluding to the dark head of many of the species in the breeding season.

Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus Grey-headed gull

This bird is widely distributed along coasts, rivers, and lakes in sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, and south-eastern and north-western South America. It is largely sedentary, but may stray far outside the breeding season.

The specific name is derived from the Latin cirrhus (‘grey’), and the Greek kephale (‘head’). The Latin part is modified, as it originally stemmed from Ancient Greek kirrhos (‘tawny’).

Chroicocephalus genei Slender-billed gull

A rare gull, breeding locally around the Mediterranean, in Mauritania, around the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, and from the Near East eastwards to Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, and north-western India.

The specific name commemorates Italian naturalist Giuseppe Gené (1800-1847), professor of zoology and director of the Royal Zoological Museum at Turin.

Chroicocephalus hartlaubii Hartlaub’s gull

This small gull is endemic to the coastline of South Africa and Namibia. Although a coastal species, it rarely ventures far from land. The total population is estimated at about 30,000 birds.

The specific and common names commemorate German physician and ornithologist Karel Johan Gustav Hartlaub (1814-1900), one of the founders of Journal für Ornithologie, in 1852.

Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae ssp. scopulinus Red-billed gull

The red-billed gull is common throughout New Zealand. It was previously regarded as a separate species, but is now generally treated as a subspecies of the silver gull (C. novaehollandiae) of Australia.

The specific name means ‘New Holland’, which was the old term for Australia. The subspecific name may be derived from Ancient Greek skopelos (‘promontory’).

Chroicocephalus philadelphia Bonaparte’s gull

This small gull breeds in the major part of North America, from southern Alaska and central Canada southwards to the Mexican border and northern Georgia, wintering from southern Canada southwards to northern Mexico and Cuba.

The common name honours French ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte (1803-1857), 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano, who spent four years in the United States, updating Alexander Wilson’s Ornithology or History of the Birds of the United States.

Chroicocephalus ridibundus Black-headed gull

This small gull breeds from southern Greenland and Iceland across most of Europe and temperate areas of Asia eastwards to Kamchatka, Russian Ussuriland, and north-eastern China. It is also a rare breeding bird in north-eastern North America. It winters in Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast and East Asia, Japan, and along the east coast of North America.

In former days, this species was very common in most of Europe, but it has declined drastically during the last 30 to 40 years. It does not breed on house roofs, but often on artificial islands in ponds in city parks.

The specific name is from the Latin ridere (‘to laugh’), referring to one of its calls, ke-ke-ke, mostly heard in the breeding colonies. Despite its common name, the head (in the breeding plumage) is not black, but a dark chocolate brown.

Black-headed gull, bringing nesting material to its nest, which is placed on a toppled tree in a pond, Nature Reserve Vorsø, Horsens Fjord, Denmark. In the two lower pictures, it uses its legs to form the nest. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Chroicocephalus saundersi Saunders’s gull

This very small gull, also known as Chinese black-headed gull, is a coastal species, found from Russian Ussuriland southwards through eastern China, Korea, and Japan to Taiwan and Vietnam. Some authorities claim that it is sufficiently distinct to be placed in a separate genus, Saundersilarus.

It was named for British businessman and ornithologist Howard Saunders (1835-1907).

Chroicocephalus serranus Andean gull

This medium-sized gull, breeding in the Andes of Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia, lives along rivers and in lakes, saline marshes, and pastureland.

The specific name is derived from the Portuguese serra (‘mountain range’).

Ichthyaetus

A genus of 6 gulls, formerly placed in Larus.

The generic name is explained below, see Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus.

Ichthyaetus hemprichii Sooty gull

This distinctive gull is native from the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Persian Gulf eastwards to Pakistan, and along the eastern African coast as far south as Tanzania.

The specific name was given in honour of German naturalist and explorer Wilhelm Friedrich Hemprich (1796-1825), who travelled extensively in Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia. He died of malaria in Ethiopia, only 29 years old.

Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus Great black-headed gull, Pallas’s gull

During his travels in Siberia and Kyrgyzstan in 1773, German naturalist and explorer Peter Simon Pallas (1741-1811) collected a large gull, naming it Larus ichthyaetus, derived from Ancient Greek ikhthys (‘fish’) and aetos (‘eagle’), loosely translated as ‘the fish-eating gull that resembles an eagle’, presumably alluding to its large size. Today, this gull is the type species in the genus Ichthyaetus, which means ‘fish-eagle’ – a rather unfortunate name for a group of gulls!

This species breeds in marshes and lakes, from Crimea eastwards across Kazakhstan to Mongolia and northern China (Gansu, Qinghai, and Inner Mongolia). It is migratory, wintering in the eastern Mediterranean, north-eastern Africa, Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, and India.

Ichthyaetus leucophthalmus White-eyed gull

This striking bird is largely confined to the Red Sea, although it has also been observed in the Persian Gulf and the eastern part of the Mediterranean. The world population has been estimated at 4,000-6,000 pairs.

The specific name is derived from Ancient Greek leukos (‘white’) and ophthalmos (‘eye’), referring to the white spots above and below the eye.

Larus

Formerly, most gulls were placed in this genus, but genetic research has lead to the resurrection of the genera Ichthyaetus, Chroicocephalus, Leucophaeus, and Hydrocoloeus. The systematics of the larger species is very complicated, and a number of former subspecies have recently been elevated to separate species. Today, according to the IOC World Bird List (worldbirdnames.org), the genus contains 24 species.

The generic name is a Latinized form of Ancient Greek laros, pertaining to a kind of ravenous sea bird, presumably a gull.

Larus argentatus Herring gull

Previously, the herring gull was regarded as being a circumpolar species, divided into a number of subspecies. Today, however, it has been split into several species, and the herring gull proper is restricted to north-western Europe, from Iceland, northern Norway, and north-western Russia southwards along the coasts of the Baltic Sea, Denmark, the British Isles as far west as Ireland, and along the Atlantic coast southwards to southern France. The major part of the Russian, Finnish, and Swedish birds are migratory, spending the winter as far south as the Portuguese Atlantic coast.

In later years, numbers of European herring gulls have increased significantly in cities, where the birds place their nest on top of high-rise buildings.

The specific name is derived from the Latin argentum (‘silver’) and the suffix atus (‘resembling’), thus ‘silvery’, presumably alluding to its pale grey wings.

Larus belcheri Band-tailed gull

This species is restricted to a rather small area on the Pacific coast, from northern Peru southwards to northern Chile, living on rocky shores and offshore islands. It is quite similar to the widespread kelp gull (below), but in flight it may be identified by the broad black tail band with a white trailing edge, and at close quarters by the distinctive red and black tip of the bill.

The specific name was applied in honour of British naval officer, hydrographer, and explorer Sir Edward Belcher (1799-1877) who performed survey work on the Pacific coast of South America.

Larus cachinnans Caspian gull

This gull breeds from eastern Europe across the plains to Kazakhstan and north-western Xinjiang, spending the winter months in northern and eastern Europe, around the Black and Caspian Seas, in Iran, and from the Red Sea along the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula to Pakistan.

The specific name is derived from the Latin cachinnare (‘to laugh aloud’).

Larus californicus California gull

This medium-sized gull breeds in central Canada eastwards to Manitoba, southwards to the Dakotas and Colorado, and thence westwards to Washington, Oregon, northern California, and northern Nevada. It mainly winters along the Pacific coast, from Vancouver southwards to central Mexico.

Larus canus Common gull

This species has a very wide distribution, from Ireland and Scotland eastwards through the Siberian taiga belt to Alaska and western Canada. It mostly breeds on the ground in coastal regions and lakes, but may occasionally build its nest on roofs or in trees. It resembles the herring gull, but is smaller and has a narrow red eye-ring, and a greenish-yellow bill without a red dot. The European and Russian subspecies also have dark eyes.

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘white’, originally from Proto-Italian kaznos (‘pale grey’).

Larus delawarensis Ring-billed gull

This medium-sized gull was named after its bill, which is yellow with a black ring. It is very widely distributed in North America, breeding from central and eastern Canada southwards to northern United States, wintering in southern United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and also along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, as far north as Vancouver and Massachusetts.

The specific name refers to the Delaware River. Presumably, the type specimen was collected there.

Larus dominicanus Kelp gull

Divided into 5 subspecies, this large gull, also known as Dominican gull, is very widespread indeed, breeding on coasts and islands in South America, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, southern Africa, southern Madagascar, subantarctic islands in the Indian Ocean, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica and nearby islands. It is common in Chile.

The specific name was applied in reference to the Dominican Order of friars, who wear black and white robes.

Larus fuscus Lesser black-backed gull

Five subspecies of this bird are presently recognized. The nominate race is breeding in the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, and Finland eastwards to the White Sea, south of the Kola Peninsula. Its mantle is jet black. Subspecies graellsii breeds in western Europe, the British Isles, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Greenland. Its mantle is dark grey. Subspecies intermedius breeds in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, south-western Sweden, and western Norway. Its mantle is sooty black. Subspecies heuglini is breeding from northern Russia eastwards to the northern part of central Siberia. Its mantle is rather pale. It is sometimes considered a separate species. Finally, subspecies barabensis breeds in south-central Siberia and northern Kazakhstan.

The wintering area is huge, encompassing the Baltic Sea, both sides of the Atlantic, Africa, both coastal and inland, Arabia and India, also along rivers, and along coasts from Korea and Japan southwards to southern China.

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘brown’. It may refer to immature birds, which sometimes have a brownish tinge.

Lesser black-backed gull, subspecies graellsii, chased by a pomarine skua (Stercorarius pomarinus), who wants to steal its food, off the west coast of Greenland. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Larus glaucescens Glaucous-winged gull

This large gull breeds from Washington State northwards along the coasts of Canada and Alaska westwards to Kamchatka. In Alaska, it is also found inland along rivers. It winters in the same area, and also further south, in Asia to Sakhalin, Ussuriland, and northern Japan, in America to Baja California.

The specific name is derived from Ancient Greek glaukos (‘blue-grey’), alluding to the wing colour.

Larus glaucoides Iceland gull

A medium-sized gull, breeding in Arctic Canada and along the southern coasts of Greenland, wintering along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America, around southern Greenland and Iceland, and (more rarely) in north-western Europe, and in the Great Lakes of America.

The specific name is derived from Ancient Greek glaukos (‘blue-grey’) and oides (‘resembling’), referring to its resemblance to the glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus), which was previously called Larus glaucus. The common name is misleading, as the bird is only a winter visitor to Iceland.

Larus heermanni Heermann’s gull

Almost the entire population of this ash-coloured gull breeds on Isla Rasa – small islands in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Non-breeding birds may be encountered along the coasts from south-western British Columbia southwards to central Mexico. It is rarely seen inland.

The specific name honours explorer and naturalist Adolphus Lewis Heermann (1821-1865), who travelled throughout the United States, collecting birds, fishes, reptiles, and plants.

Larus marinus Great black-backed gull

The largest gull in the world, up to 79 cm long, and with a wingspan up to 1.7 m. This very aggressive hunter, pirate, and scavenger is breeding in extreme north-western Russia, coastal Scandinavia, along the Baltic Sea coasts, north-western France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the North Atlantic, southern Greenland, and along the Atlantic coast of Canada and the United States, southwards to North Carolina.

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘marine’, derived from mare (‘sea’).

Larus michahellis Western yellow-legged gull

This species is found in the Mediterranean Sea. It resembles the herring gull, but can be identified by its yellow legs and very powerful beak. This bird is extremely common in Istanbul, Turkey, where these pictures were taken. In this city, it often breeds on house roofs, and if a window is left open, it may enter to search for edibles.

The specific name is a misspelling of the name of German physician and zoologist Georg Christian Karl Wilhelm Michahelles (1807-1834) who collected birds in Dalmatia and Greece. He died of dysentery in Greece, only 27 years old.

This western yellow-legged gull has just killed a domestic pigeon and is now eating it on a roof top. It shows a threatening attitude towards an intruding hooded crow (Corvus corone ssp. cornix), which is very interested in the kill. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Larus mongolicus Mongolian gull

This gull was previously considered a subspecies of the Caspian gull (L. cachinnans), but is now regarded either as a separate species, or a subspecies of the vega gull (L. vegae, see below). The wings are generally a paler grey than the vega gull, and in winter plumage it has less dark markings on the neck. It breeds from the Altai Mountains and Lake Baikal eastwards to Mongolia, wintering in southern parts of Asia.

Larus occidentalis Western gull

This species is common along the Pacific Coast, breeding from Washington southwards to central Baja California, Mexico. Outside the breeding season, it strays to British Columbia and southern Baja California. The largest colony is on the Farallon Islands, west of San Francisco. In the entire San Francisco Bay area, the population is estimated at 30,000 individuals.

It is a large bird, to 68 cm long and weighing up to 1.4 kg. It is divided into two subspecies. The northern nominate race, found from central California northwards, has paler wing colour and darker eye colour than the southern subspecies wymani. In central and northern California, you may encounter both subspecies.

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘western’, derived from occidens (‘west’).

Western gulls, Montaña de Oro State Park, central California. The birds in the upper picture are ssp. occidentalis, with pale mantle and dark eye, whereas the bird in the lower picture is ssp. wymani, with darker mantle and pale eye. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Larus smithsonianus American herring gull

This large gull is very widely distributed, breeding in eastern Siberia, Mongolia, northern China, Alaska, northern and eastern Canada, the Great Lakes area, and along the Atlantic coast of the United States, from Massachusetts southwards to South Carolina. In winter, it is found in the eastern half of the United States, the Caribbean, Mexico, and along the entire North American Pacific coast, and in Asia along coasts, from Sakhalin southwards to Hainan and extreme northern Vietnam.

The specific name honours English chemist and mineralogist James Smithson (c. 1765-1829), who was born in France as the illegitimate child of Elizabeth Macie and Hugh Percy, the 1st Duke of Northumberland. He was named Jacques-Louis Macie, but his mother brought him to Britain, where his name was changed to James Louis Macie. Following his mother’s death in 1800, he adopted his father’s original surname of Smithson. As he had no children, he wrote in his will that his estate be used “to found in Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.” Thus he became the patron of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., although he had never visited the United States.

Larus vegae Vega gull

Previously, the Vega gull was treated as a subspecies of the herring gull, but is today regarded as a separate species. It is distributed in north-eastern Siberia, from the Lena River eastwards to the Bering Sea.

Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra.

Leucophaeus

A small genus of 5 medium-sized gulls, found in the New World, from Canada southwards to southern South America. Until recently, they were placed in the genus Larus.

The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek leukos (‘white’) and phaios (‘dusky’), alluding to the dark plumage of most species, and to the white crescent above and below the eyes.

Leucophaeus atricilla Laughing gull

This medium-sized gull is quite common, breeding in the Great Lakes area, and from Maine along the coast southwards to the Mexican border, and also in the Caribbean. In winter, it is found in the south-eastern United States, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and along the coasts of South America, eastwards to northern Brazil, southwards to southern Peru.

The specific name is derived from the Latin atra (‘black’) and cilla (‘tail’). This is puzzling, as the laughing gull has a white tail (see flight picture below). According to the Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names, Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), when naming the bird, may have intended to write atricapilla (‘black-haired’), alluding to its black head in the breeding plumage.

The common name refers to its call.

Laughing gulls, and a few American herring gulls (Larus smithsonianus, see above), feeding on eggs of Atlantic horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus), Delaware Bay, New Jersey. This fascinating animal is described on the page Animals: Horseshoe crabs – living fossils in peril. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Beach at Capo Matapalo, Peninsula de Osa, Costa Rica, with immature laughing gulls and Cabot’s terns (Thalasseus acuflavidus). Cabot’s tern was previously regarded as a subspecies of the sandwich tern (T. sandvicensis). Fishermen are seen in the background. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Leucophaeus modestus Grey gull

For many years, the nesting area of this bird was unknown, until 1945, when it was discovered that it was breeding in the Atacama Desert of Chile. Outside the breeding season, it migrates widely, to Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Costa Rica, and it has even been recorded as far away as the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands.

The specific name is Latin, meaning ‘modest’ or ‘plain’, alluding to the grey plumage of this bird.

Rissa Kittiwakes

A small genus with only two species, living in the northern seas.

Rissa tridactyla Kittiwake

This small gull is widely distributed in Arctic seas, breeding in colonies on steep rocks or cliffs, where each pair builds a nest, consisting of plants and seaweeds, on a narrow ledge. As a breeding bird, this species is found southwards to the Kuril Islands, southern Alaska, Newfoundland, the British Isles, and France, with scattered colonies in Portugal and Spain. In winter, it disperses to a huge area in subarctic and temperate seas.

The generic name is derived from the Icelandic name of the bird, rita, whereas the English name was given in allusion to its call. The specific name is derived from Ancient Greek tridaktylos (‘three-toed’), referring to the fact that this species is missing the small, back-pointing fourth toe, which most other gull species possess.

In North America, this species is called black-legged kittiwake to differentiate it from its near relative, the red-legged kittiwake (R. brevirostris), which breeds on small islands in the far northern Pacific.

Xema sabini Sabine’s gull

This small and beautiful gull is the only member of the genus. It breeds in the High Arctic, in northern Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Svalbard, and central and eastern Siberia. It travels very far to its wintering areas in two separate areas, off the coasts of Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, and northern Peru, and off the coasts of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa.

It seems that the generic name was taken out of the blue. It has been labelled “a fancy word, apparently devoid of meaning.” The specific and common names honour Irish astronomer, physicist, and Arctic explorer Edward Sabine (1783-1883), who collected a specimen in 1819, when he participated in an expedition, led by Captain John Ross (1777-1856), the aim of which was to search for the Northwest Passage. Later, Sabine became the 30th President of the Royal Society 1861-1871.

Some authorities include this bird in the genus Larus.

(Uploaded February 2023)

Kaj Halberg - writer & photographer

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Gulls