Herring Gull- Zilvermeeuw (argentatus & argenteus)

(last update: December 15, 2011 )

Coordinators:
Jean-Michel Sauvage (France)
Mars Muusse (the Netherlands)

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Herring Gull plumages:

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Herring Gull - 2cy March

Introduction

This website deals with the Herring Gulls of the taxa argentatus and argenteus. Argenteus is an abundant breeding species on Iceland, Britain, NW France, Belgium, the Netherlands and N Germany. The taxon argentatus breeds in NE Europe, from Denmark, the coast of the Baltic Sea, Scandinavia and coast of the White Sea. In the centre of the breeding range (Denmark and the NW German coast), birds show intermediate characteristics, indicating there is a cline in argenteus-argentatus. Argenteus in Western Europe is pale-backed, slightly smaller and with relatively much black in the wing-tip; argentatus in the NE Europe is larger, slightly darker on upper-parts and show less black in the wing-tip.
Due to the large breeding range, there is much intra-specific variation in argentatus, with most large, powerful birds in the northern populations, showing the most darkest upper-parts, longest wing and most white in the outer-wing. In this region, some populations may hold substantial number of yellow-legged argentatus. (referred to as "Finnmark yellow-legged argentatus"). In adult plumage, the black sub-terminal spot on P5 is often lacking or strongly reduced to a diffuse streak, broken at the centre. Sometimes P6 lacks black as well. 
In the Baltic region, other yellow-legged argentatus populations occur ("Baltic yellow-legged argentatus"), with adults showing even brighter yellow legs in summer and the upper-parts only slightly darker than West European argenteus, still much paler than Yellow-legged Gull (michahellis). Those Baltic argentatus often show a black sub-terminal spot on P5 in adult plumage.
On these web-pages, we largely follow P.J. Grant: "Gulls, a guide to identification" and E.K Barth's publication as Contribution No. 86, Zoological Museum, University of Oslo: "The circumpolar systematics of Larus argentatus and Larus fuscus with special reference to the Norwegian populations".

2cy Herring Gull March: tables and charts

Table 1: 2cy ringed Herring Gull coverts & scapulars scores March (n = 9). 
US: upper scapulars; LS: lower scapulars. Tot S: total % of second generation scapulars.
Classification: A: 100% 2g; B: 75-99% 2g; C: 50-74% 2g; D: 25-49% 2g; E: 1-24% 2g; F: 0% 2g.
Ring No Origin Ring Data US LS Tot S Date
argenteus  
H-124452 BLB pullus 06.07.02 Zeebrugge Belgium (51.20N 03.11E) A A A 3-15
H-124142 BLB pullus 06.07.02 Zeebrugge Belgium (51.20N 03.11E) A A A 3-16
DA228133 FRP nn A A A 3-16
H-124858 BLB pullus 17.07.02 Zeebrugge Belgium (51.20N 03.11E) A A A 3-17
H-124326 BLB pullus 06.07.02 Zeebrugge Belgium (51.20N 03.11E) A B B 3-16
ZFJ BTO pullus 10.07.02 Felixstowe UK (51.57N 01.19E) A B B 3-18
H-124181 BLB pullus 03.07.02 Zeebrugge Belgium (51.20N 03.11E) C E D 3-15
argentatus
VA33 DKC 1cy, autumn '01 Denmark B D C 3-15
unknown
XX 10632 BTO nn A A A 3-15

 

Table 2: 2cy Herring Gull primary scores March-April 2002 (n = 604). Remaining old primaries (e.g. 7 = P4-P10 old; P1-P3 active moult to 2nd generation). Surveys from Scheveningen harbour, except April 19 & 20, which are from Dannes and Le Portel, NW France respectively. 
25.03 27.03 04.04 05.04 08.04 12.04 17.04 18.04 19.04 20.04 22.04 27.04
7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 5
9 0 0 2 1 2 1 3 9 19 11 7 8
10 50 29 40 31 40 35 36 64 91 42 34 37

n =

 50 29 42 32 42 36 39 73 110 55 44 52
av old P's 10,0 10,0 10,0 10,0 10,0 10,0 9,9 9,9 9,8 9,7 9,7 9,5
95% CID 0,0 0,0 0,1 0,1 0,1 0,1 0,1 0,1 0,1 0,1 0,2 0,2
SD (s) 0,0 0,0 0,2 0,2 0,2 0,2 0,3 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,8
%   7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 7 10
9 0 0 5 3 5 3 8 12 17 20 16 15
10 100 100 95 97 95 97 92 88 83 76 77 71

Notes:
CID:  (Confidence Interval of the Difference); SD: Standard Deviation.

March-Chart 1 (below): 2cy HG primary scores in 2002 (n = 604). Data from table 2.

rings argenteus: U.K.
2cy argenteus in March, ringed in France. (57822 bytes)Herring Gull A7JG 2cy (argenteus), March 05 2011, Boulogne/Mer, France (50.42N,1.34E). Picture: J-M Sauvage.
2cy argenteus in March, ringed in France. (57822 bytes)Herring Gull A5AB, 2cy (argenteus), March 08 2008, Boulogne/Mer, France (50.42N,1.34E). Picture: J-M Sauvage.
2cy argenteus in March, ringed in the U.K. (71897 bytes)Herring Gull ZFJ 2cy (argenteus), March 18 2003, Boulogne/Mer, France (50.42N,1.34E).
rings argenteus: France
2cy argenteus in March, ringed in France. (57822 bytes)Herring Gull 60A, 2cy (argenteus), March 03 2008, Boulogne/Mer, France (50.42N, 1.34E). Picture: JM Sauvage.
2cy argenteus in March, ringed in France. (57822 bytes)Herring Gull M3A, 2cy (argenteus), March 04 2008, Boulogne/Mer, France (50.42N, 1.34E). Picture: J-M Sauvage.
2cy argenteus in March, ringed in France. (57822 bytes)Herring Gull DA228133 2cy (argenteus), March 16 2003, Boulogne/Mer, France (50.42N,1.34E).
rings argenteus: Belgium
1cy argenteus in November, ringed in Belgium. (25637 bytes)Herring Gull FDAP 2cy (argenteus), March 13 2007, Oostende, Belgium. Picture W. Leers.
2cy argenteus in March, ringed in Belgium. (63421 bytes)Herring Gull H-124142 2cy (argenteus), March 16 2003, Boulogne/ Mer, France (50.42N,1.34E).
2cy argenteus in March, ringed in Belgium. (80058 bytes)Herring Gull H-124326 2cy (argenteus), March 15 2003, Boulogne/ Mer, France (50.42N,1.34E).
2cy argenteus in March, ringed in Belgium. (61351 bytes)Herring Gull H-124452 2cy (argenteus), March 15 2003, Boulogne/ Mer, France (50.42N,1.34E).
2cy argenteus in March, ringed in Belgium. (77104 bytes)Herring Gull H-124858 2cy (argenteus), March 17 2003, Boulogne/ Mer, France (50.42N,1.34E).
2cy argenteus in March, ringed in Belgium. (87128 bytes)Herring Gull H-128341 2cy (argenteus), March 01 2004, Westkapelle, the Netherlands (51.33N 03.25E). Photo by Pim Wolf.
rings argenteus: the Netherlands
2cy argenteus in March, ringed in the Netherlands. (62689 bytes)Herring Gull L4 2cy (argenteus), March 05 2004, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (52.21N - 04.52E). Picture Ruud Altenburg.
2cy argenteus in February, ringed in the Netherlands. (71657 bytes)Herring Gull 5.412.517 2cy (argenteus), March 20 2004, IJmuiden, the Netherlands (52.27N - 04.33E).
1cy argenteus in December, ringed in the Netherlands. (119951 bytes)Herring Gull 5.429.287 2cy (argenteus), 2010-2011, IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
rings argentatus: Denmark
2cy agentatus in March, ringed in Denmark. (78764 bytes)Herring Gull VA33 2cy (argentatus), Denmark and Finland. Pictures from Denmark by Frank Abrahamson.
rings argentatus: Finland
juvenile LBBG in October, ringed in Norway. (131273 bytes)Herring Gull CJT13 2cy (argentatus), March 09 2011, Hoek van Holland pier (51.59 N, 4.06E), the Netherlands.
unringed 2cy Herring Gulls
3cy argentatus in January. (80207 bytes)Herring Gull 2CY, March 21 2013, Noordwijk, the Netherlands.
3cy argentatus in January. (80207 bytes)Herring Gull 2CY, March 13 2013, Noordwijk, the Netherlands.
3cy argentatus in January. (80207 bytes)Herring Gull 2CY, March 21 2013, Noordwijk, the Netherlands.
3cy argentatus in January. (80207 bytes)Herring Gull 2CY, March 13 2013, Noordwijk, the Netherlands.
3cy argentatus in January. (80207 bytes)Herring Gull 2CY, March 13 2013, Noordwijk, the Netherlands.
3cy argentatus in January. (80207 bytes)Herring Gull 2CY, March 21 2013, Noordwijk, the Netherlands.
2cy argentatus in March. (56751 bytes)Herring Gull 2cy (argentatus), March 17 2003, Boulogne/Mer, France (50.42N,1.34E).
2cy argentatus in March. (58626 bytes)Herring Gull 2cy (argentatus), March 17 2003, Boulogne/Mer, France (50.42N,1.34E).
2cy argentatus in March. (50916 bytes)Herring Gull 2cy (argentatus), March 18 2003, Boulogne/Mer, France (50.42N,1.34E).
2cy argentatus in March. (89113 bytes)Herring Gull 2cy (argentatus), March 05 2004, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (52.21N-04.52E). Picture Ruud Altenburg.
2cy argentatus in March. (65110 bytes)Herring Gull 2cy (argentatus), March 09 2010, IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
2cy argentatus in March. (65110 bytes)Herring Gull 2cy (argentatus), March 25 2004, IJmuiden, the Netherlands (52.27N - 04.33E).