Editing American herring gull

{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Herring gull (16221).jpg 
| image_caption = Adult
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref =<ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |year=2019 |title=''Larus smithsonianus'' |amends=2018 |page=e.T62030590A155596462 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T62030590A155596462.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Larus
| species = smithsonianus
| authority = [[Elliott Coues|Coues]], 1862
| synonyms = ''Larus argentatus smithsonianus''
| range_map = Larus smithsonianus map.svg
}}

The '''American herring gull''' or '''Smithsonian gull''' ('''''Larus smithsonianus''''' or '''''Larus argentatus smithsonianus''''') is a large [[gull]] that breeds in [[North America]], where it is treated by the [[American Ornithological Society]] as a subspecies of [[herring gull]] (''L. argentatus'').

Adults are white with gray back and wings, black wingtips with white spots, and pink legs. Immature birds are gray-brown and are darker and more uniform than [[European herring gull]]s, with a darker tail.  As is common with other gulls, they are colloquially referred to simply as '''seagulls'''.  

It occurs in a variety of [[habitat]]s including coasts, lakes, rivers, [[Parking lot|parking lots]] and [[garbage dump]]s. Its broad diet includes [[invertebrate]]s, [[fish]], and many other items. It usually [[Bird nest|nests]] near water, laying around three [[Egg (biology)|eggs]] in a scrape on the ground.

==Taxonomy==
This gull was first described as a new species in 1862 by [[Elliott Coues]] based on a series of specimens from the [[Smithsonian Institution]]. It was later reclassified as a [[subspecies]] of the herring gull (''[[Larus argentatus]]''). The genus name is from [[Latin]] ''Larus'', which refers to a gull or other large seabird. The species name ''smithsonianus'' commemorates English chemist [[James Smithson]] whose £100,000 bequest enabled the foundation of the institution that bears his name.<ref name=job>{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url= https://archive.org/details/helmdictionarysc00jobl_997 | url-access= limited | publisher= Christopher Helm | location = London | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/helmdictionarysc00jobl_997/page/n219 219], 358}}</ref>

The taxonomy of the herring gull group is very complicated and much is still controversial and uncertain. A 2002 study suggested that the American herring gull is not closely related to European herring gulls, belonging instead to a separate [[clade]] of gulls.<ref name=Sangster>[[Sangster, George]]; J. Martin Collinson; Alan G. Knox; David T. Parkin & [[Lars Svensson (ornithologist)|Lars Svensson]] (2007). [https://archive.today/20121216143148/http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/118531152/HTMLSTART Taxonomic recommendations for British birds: 4th report], ''[[Ibis (journal)|Ibis]]'', 149 (4): 853-857.</ref> Several authorities such as the [[Association of European Rarities Committees]] and [[British Ornithologists' Union]] now recognize it as a separate species. The BOU also includes the [[Vega gull]] (''Larus vegae'') of northeastern [[Asia]] within the American herring gull.<ref name=Sangster/> The [[American Ornithologists' Union]] has not adopted the split and continues to treat the American herring gull as a subspecies of ''Larus argentatus''.<ref>[http://checklist.aou.org/taxa/467 ''Larus argentatus''], AOU checklist</ref>

==Description==
[[File:Herring Gull and chick, NL.jpg|thumb|left|Adult with chick, Elliston, [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]]]]
[[File:American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus) RWD3.jpg|left|thumb|Juvenile and adult in North Carolina]]
It is a heavily built large gull with a long powerful bill, full chest and sloping forehead.<ref name=Dubois>Dubois, Philippe J. (1997). Identification of North American herring gull. ''[[British Birds (magazine)|British Birds]]'' 90:314-324.</ref> Males are {{convert|60|-|66|cm|in|abbr=on}} long and weigh {{convert|1050|-|1650|g|lb|abbr=on}}. Females are {{convert|53|-|62|cm|in|abbr=on}} long and weigh {{convert|600|-|900|g|lb|abbr=on}}. The wingspan is {{convert|120|to|155|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name=BNA>Pierotti, R. J. & T. P. Good (1994). [http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/124 Herring Gull (''Larus argentatus'')], ''The Birds of North America Online'' (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 31 October 2008. [Subscription required]</ref><ref name= "Olsen">Olsen, Klaus Malling & Hans Larsson (2004). ''Gulls: Of North America, Europe, and Asia.'' Princeton University Press. {{ISBN|978-0691119977}}.</ref> Among standard measurements, the [[Wing chord (biology)|wing chord]] is {{convert|41.2|to|46.8|cm|in|abbr=on}}, the [[Beak|bill]] is {{convert|4.4|to|6.2|cm|in|abbr=on}} and the [[Tarsus (skeleton)|tarsus]] is {{convert|5.5|to|7.6|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name= "Olsen"/>

Breeding adults have a white head, rump, tail, and underparts and a pale gray back and upperwings. The wingtips are black with white spots known as "mirrors" and the trailing edge of the wing is white. The underwing is grayish with dark tips to the outer [[flight feather#Primaries|primary feathers]]. The legs and feet are normally pink but can have a bluish tinge, or occasionally be yellow. The bill is yellow with a red spot on the lower mandible. The eye is bright, pale to medium yellow, with a bare yellow or orange ring around it. In winter, the head and neck are streaked with brown.

[[File:Herring gull - natures pics.jpg|right|thumb|First-cycle bird in Texas]]
[[File:American Herring Gull on an unidentified pier.jpg|thumb|A breeding Herring Gull sits on a pier {{where?}}]]
Young birds take four years to reach fully adult [[plumage]]. During this time they go through several plumage stages and can be very variable in appearance. First-winter birds are gray-brown with a dark tail, a brown rump with dark bars, dark outer primaries and pale inner primaries, dark eyes, and a dark bill, which usually develops a paler base through the winter. The head is often paler than the body. Second-winter birds typically have pale eyes, pale bill with black tip, pale head, and begin to show gray feathers on the back. Third-winter birds are closer to adults but still have some black on the bill and brown on the body and wings and have a black band on the tail.

===Voice===
It has no song but possesses a variety of cries and calls. An initial call in response to a threat is a quick "hahaha", varying in intensity depending on the threat.<ref name="Tinbergen">Tinbergen, Niko (1960). ''The Herring Gull's World''. Basic Books, Inc.</ref> The more-intense "keow" is a loud yet short alarm call that is both identifying and communicative of impending danger.<ref name="Tinbergen" /><ref name="Sounds">{{cite web | url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Herring_Gull/sounds | title=Herring Gull Sounds, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology }}</ref> The "long call" is a series of loud notes during which the head is dipped and then raised. The "choking" call is produced during courtship displays, nest construction or territorial disputes, accompanied by a rapid bobbing of the head in a direction of interest.<ref name="Tinbergen" /><ref name=Stokes>Stokes, Donald & Lillian Stokes (1996). ''Stokes Field Guide to Birds: Eastern Region.'' Little, Brown & Co.</ref> The "mew" call is used with an extended downturned neck to call attention in many contexts including chick or mate calling and nest defense.<ref name="Sounds" /> Juvenile birds emit high-pitched plaintive cries to elicit feeding behavior from a parent and may also emit a clicking distress call when a parent suddenly flies off {{fact|date=August 2023}}.

===Similar species===
Adult [[European herring gull]]s are very similar to American herring gulls but those of the subspecies ''L. a. argenteus'' are smaller than many American birds<ref name=Olsen/> while those of the northern subspecies ''L. a. argentatus'' are typically darker gray above. European birds lack the long gray tongues on the 6th, 7th, and 8th primaries and solid black markings on the 5th and 6th primaries that are shown by American herring gulls.<ref name=Clarke>Clarke, Tony; Chris Orgill & Tony Disley (2006). ''Field Guide to the Birds of the Atlantic Islands.'' Christopher Helm, London.</ref> First-winter European birds have more checkered upperparts, more streaked underparts, and a paler rump and base to the tail.<ref name=Dubois/>

==Distribution and habitat==
[[File:American Herring Gull.jpg|thumb|left|Adult in winter plumage, [[Cape May Point, New Jersey]]]]
The breeding range extends across the northern part of North America from central and southern [[Alaska]] to the [[Great Lakes]] and the northeast coast of the United States from [[Maine]] south to [[North Carolina]]. It breeds over most of Canada apart from the southwest and Arctic regions.

Birds are present all year in southern Alaska, the Great Lakes, and the north-east USA, but most birds winter to the south of the breeding range as far as Mexico with small numbers reaching [[Hawaii]], [[Central America]] and the [[West Indies]]. [[Vagrancy in birds|Vagrants]] have reached [[Colombia]] and [[Venezuela]] and there is a report from [[Ecuador]] and another from [[Peru]].<ref name=Mata>Mata, Jorge R. Rodriguez; Francisco Erize & Maurice Rumboll (2006). ''A Field Guide to the Birds of South America: Non-Passerines.'' HarperCollins, London.</ref><ref name=Schulenberg>Schulenberg, Thomas S.; Stotz, Douglas F.; Lane, Daniel F.; O'Neill John P. & Parker, Theodore A. III (2007) ''Field Guide to the Birds of Peru.'' Christopher Helm, London. {{ISBN|978-0-7136-8673-9}}</ref> The first European record was of a bird ringed in [[New Brunswick]] which was caught on a boat in [[Spain|Spanish]] waters in 1937 and there have been a number of additional records from Western Europe since 1990.<ref name=Dubois/> The first British record was in 1994 in Cheshire.<ref>Quinn, David (2009). American Herring Gull in Cheshire & Wirral: new to Britain ''[[British Birds (magazine)|British Birds]]'' 102(6):342-7</ref>

It usually nests in colonies near water on coasts, islands, and cliffs. It also nests on rooftops in some cities. It feeds at sea and on beaches, mudflats, lakes, rivers, fields, and refuse dumps. It roosts in open areas close to feeding sites.<ref name=BNA/>

==Behavior==
[[File:Bird on rocks near shoreline.JPG|right|thumb|Two fledglings resting on a rock on the shore on [[Lake Ontario]]]]

===Feeding===
[[File:Core Banks - Herring Gull - 03.JPG|thumb|left|Herring gull eating a crab]]
[[File:American Herring Gull RWD2 .jpg|thumb|left|Herring gull stomping feet to help find prey]]
It has a varied diet, including marine [[invertebrates]] such as [[mussel]]s, [[crab]]s, [[sea urchin]]s, and [[squid]]; fish such as [[capelin]], [[Alewife (fish)|alewife]], and [[Smelt (fish)|smelt]]; insects; and other birds including their chicks and eggs. It often feeds on [[carrion]] and human refuse. Food is plucked from the surface of the shore or sea or is caught by dipping underwater or by shallow plunge-diving.<ref name=BNA/> They also feed on [[clam]]s and mussels by dropping them from a height on hard surfaces such as roads or rocks to break their shells. There is some question about whether this behavior is learned or innate, although it seems to be learned.<ref name=latimes>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-22-mn-53979-story.html|author=Sonja Barisic (Associated Press)|title=Biologist Cracks Case of Adaptive Bird Behavior |work=Los Angeles Times |date=2001-04-22 |access-date=2017-05-31}}</ref>

===Reproduction===
Pairs form in March or April. The nest is a scrape on the ground lined with vegetation such as grass, seaweed, and feathers.<ref name=BNA/><ref name=Stokes/> Usually three eggs are laid over a four- to six-day period. They are {{convert|72|mm|in|abbr=on}} long and are variable in color with brown markings on a pale blue, olive, or cinnamon background.<ref name=Ehrlich>Ehrlich, Paul R.; David S. Dobkin & Darryl Wheye (1988). ''The Birder's Handbook: a field guide to the natural history of North American birds.'' Simon & Schuster, New York.</ref> The eggs are [[Avian incubation|incubated]] for 30–32 days beginning when the second egg is laid. The young birds [[fledge]] after 6–7 weeks and are fed in the nest area for several more weeks. They continue to be cared for by the parents until they are about 6 months old.<ref name=BNA/> Both parents are involved in building the nest, incubating the eggs and feeding the young.<ref name=Ehrlich/>
It has been observed that some pairs cement a close bond, staying in watchful proximity of each other year-round; Other gulls display more independence, but may take the same mate each spring.

==Status==
The species became quite rare during the 19th century when it was hunted for its eggs and feathers. From the 1930s to the 1960s, it increased rapidly due to protection from hunting, increased waste from fisheries to feed on, and less competition for small fish and invertebrates as humans reduced the populations of large fish, [[whale|whales]], and [[pinniped|pinnipeds]] (seals). It was one of many impacted by high DDT usage, and was the target of the study that first linked DDT to eggshell thinning.<ref name="mynorthscience">{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Jeff |title=The Science Behind Northport's Gull Island |url=https://mynorth.com/2017/05/the-science-behind-northports-gull-island/ |website=MyNorth.com |access-date=8 September 2020 |date=9 May 2017}}</ref> Population growth leveled off during the 1970s and 80s and may now be declining in some areas.<ref name=BNA/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==

===Identification===

* Lonergan, Pat and [[Killian Mullarney]] (2004) Identification of American Herring Gull in a western European context ''[[Dutch Birding]]'' 26(1): 1-35

==External links==
{{Commons category|Larus smithsonianus|American Herring Gull}}
{{Wikispecies|Larus smithsonianus}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20091021034756/http://geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/6181/smith_d.htm Gull Identification Website: Herring Gull (''smithsonianus'')]
*[http://www.martinreid.com/Gull%20website/hsmitinx.html Martin Reid's Gull Website: American Herring Gull photos]

{{Gulls}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q469297}}

[[Category:Larus|American herring gull]]
[[Category:Native birds of Alaska]]
[[Category:Birds of Canada]]
[[Category:Birds of the Dominican Republic]]
[[Category:Native birds of the Northeastern United States]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1862|American herring gull]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Elliott Coues]]