Herring Gull- Zilvermeeuw (argentatus & argenteus)
(last update: December 15, 2011
Herring Gull - 3cy July
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".
Small surveys of primary moult score in France and Finland are presented below:
| Remaining old primaries in 3cy argenteus at Le Portel - Boulogne/Mer, July 10 2002. | |
| P5-P10 old | 1 |
| <P6 old* | 2 |
| P6-P10 old | 23 |
| P7-P10 old | 88 |
| P8-P10 old | 59 |
| P9-P10old | 7 (P5 or P6 full grown) |
| P10 old | - |
| n
= 180; m old P= 3.8; SD old P = 0.79 The shortest old primary was scored. * = in the folded wing, at least P5 was still present, but maybe P4 as well. |
|
| Primary moult score of 3cy argentatus Herring Gull, at Tampere landfill, Finland (61.33N, 23.59E) on July 10 2003. | |||||
| . | P4 fg | P5 fg | P6 fg | ? fg | n: |
| P6-P10 | - | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| P7-P10 | 9 | 1 | - | 4 | 14 |
| P8-P10 | - | 16 | - | 3 | 19 |
| P9-P10 | - | - | 2 | - | 2 |
| n: | 9 | 17 | 2 | 9 | 37 |
| n
= 37; m old P = 3.4; SD old P = 0.69. Survey at Tampere, landfill, in resting group at 'the saddle', about 50 3cy Herring Gulls, probably 100% argentatus. P6-P10 = P6-P10 are still old and present. ? fg = fully grown not known. Fully grown primary score most probably P6 or less. fg = fully grown. In our field surveys, a primary is 'fully grown' when it exceeds the previous feather in the folded wing. Actually, such 'fully grown' feathers may have to grow a little, but under field circumstances, it's very difficult to find out if the waxy sheath, which is the standard measurement for fully grown primaries, is still present. |
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| Primary moult score of 3cy argentatus Herring Gull, at Tampere landfill, Finland (61.33N, 23.59E) on July 13 2003, 15:00 h. | |||||
| . | P4 fg | P5 fg | P6 fg | ? fg | n: |
P5-P10 |
- | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| P6-P10 | - | - | - | - | - |
| P7-P10 | 2 | 1 | - | 8 | 11 |
| P8-P10 | 1 | 40 | 3 | 25 | 69 |
| P9-P10 | - | 1 | 9 | - | 10 |
| n: | 3 | 42 | 12 | 34 | 91 |
| n
= 91; m old P = 3.0; SD old P = 0.58. Survey at Tampere, landfill, in resting group at 'Bio I'. |
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Herring
Gull A7JG 3cy (argenteus), 2011 & March-July 2012, Boulogne/Mer, France (50.42N,1.34E). Picture: J-M Sauvage.
Herring
Gull M3A, 3cy (argenteus), July 07 2009, Boulogne/Mer, France (50.42N,1.34E). Picture: J-M Sauvage.
Herring
Gull H-xxxxxx 3cy (argenteus), July 11 2002,
Boulogne/Mer, France (50.42N,1.34E).
Herring
Gull 5W 3cy (argenteus), July07 2009, Boulogne/Mer, France. Photo: J-M Sauvage.
Herring
Gull 5.412.501 3cy (argenteus), July 09 2004,
IJmuiden, the Netherlands (52.27N
04.33E). 
Herring
Gull DN11467 3cy (argentatus),
July 10 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.31N,
23.43E).
Herring
Gull 90A12473 3cy (argentatus),
July 15 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.31N,
23.43E).
Herring
Gull C029N 3cy (argentatus),
July 16 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.31N,
23.43E).
Herring
Gull C110P 3cy (argentatus),
July 10-14 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.31N,
23.43E).
Herring
Gull C136V 3cy (argentatus),
July 16 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.31N,
23.43E).
Herring
Gull C6C98 3cy (argentatus),
July 15 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.31N,
23.43E).
Herring
Gull C6V34 3cy (argentatus),
July 15-16 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.31N,
23.43E).
Herring
Gull C6V77 3cy (argentatus),
July 16 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.31N,
23.43E).
Herring
Gull C7N54 3cy (argentatus),
July 14-16 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.31N,
23.43E).
Herring
Gull CE942 3cy (argentatus),
July 10-15 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.31N,
23.43E).
Herring
Gull HT-x77607 3cy (argentatus),
July 15 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.31N,
23.43E).
Herring
Gull HT-224010 3cy (argentatus),
July 15 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.31N,
23.43E).
Herring
Gull? 3cy?,
July 15 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.31N,
23.43E).
Herring
Gull 3cy (argentatus),
July 14 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.31N,
23.43E).
Herring
Gull 3cy (argentatus),
July 14 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.31N,
23.43E).
Herring
Gull 3cy (argentatus),
July 14 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.31N,
23.43E).
Herring
Gull 3cy (argentatus),
July 15 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.31N,
23.43E).
Herring
Gull 3cy (argentatus),
July 14 2003, Tampere, Finland (61.31N,
23.43E).