About American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)
The plumage of North America's most widespread and familiar gull can be quite variable. It is a four-year gull, which means for the first four years of the gull's life, it bears a very different plumage. This can make identification of younger birds difficult, but is certainly an aspect that draws many to study gulls. Winter adult birds have a white head and neck, a breast streaked with pale brown, a heavy yellow bill with a red spot on the lower mandible. Its upperwings and back are light gray, but the wingtips are black with white spots. Tail is white, and legs and feet are a pinkish color.The Herring Gull knows all of the best gull tricks for grabbing a quick meal. Aside from eating everything from fish to carrion to the young of other birds, they will follow ships for the garbage thrown overboard, steal food from other birds, and of course visit local garbage dumps. My personal favorite innovation is its carrying of hard-shelled mollusks to a height and dropping them on hard surfaces to gain access to the tasty meal inside! And if they first don't succeed, they will fly to a higher altitude and try again. If you are ever walking along a broken clamshell covered pier or seaside road, the Herring Gull and fellow masters of the trade have most likely preceded you.
Synonyms:
- HERG
- Larus argentatus smithsonianus
- AHGU