Herring gull

Scientific name: Larus argentatus

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Adults display white plumage with pale gray upper wings and backs, black wing tips with white spots, and yellow-orange beaks with a red spot near the tip. Legs are yellow-pink; immatures show brown mottling and darker beaks, requiring 3–4 years to reach full adult plumage.

Size and weight

Adults typically weigh 0.7–1.3 kg, with body length of 55–67 cm; males are slightly larger than females.

Habitat

Herring gulls inhabit coastal regions, inland water bodies, and increasingly urban areas. They favor rocky cliffs, sandy beaches, marshes, and man-made structures like rooftops and piers.

Distribution

Herring gulls are widespread across the Northern Hemisphere, with populations breeding across northern Europe, North America, and Asia. They winter in coastal and inland regions farther south, increasingly occupying urban centers.

Diet

Herring gulls are opportunistic omnivores consuming fish, crustaceans, mollusks, eggs, chicks, small mammals, insects, and scavenged food waste; diet shifts seasonally toward breeding colonies where they hunt live prey and raid other birds' nests.

Behaviour

Diurnal and highly social, forming loose flocks year-round and tight breeding colonies in spring and summer. They are strong, agile fliers capable of sustained hovering and rapid descent; highly vocal with distinctive wailing and laughing calls.

Hunting tips

Scout areas at dawn or dusk when gulls congregate on water or roost sites; identify concentrations by scanning for white and gray forms against landscape. Approach from downwind using terrain and structures for cover; gulls are wary and alert, so remain low and motionless during approach. Use calls sparingly to avoid spooking the flock, and focus on isolated or peripheral birds rather than group centers.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 2 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.