Herring Gull- Zilvermeeuw (argentatus & argenteus)
(last update: December 15, 2011
Herring Gull - 4cy /sub-adults May
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".
Herring
Gull GC 89668 4cy (argenteus), April-August 2011, Leiden, Netherlands.
Herring Gull H-112084 4cy (argenteus), May 03 2003, Voorhaven, Zeebrugge,
Belgium (51.59N
04.02E).
Herring
Gull Y.AFC 4cy (argenteus), May 06 2011, IJmuiden, the Netherlands. Also photographed as juvenile.
Herring
Gull 13 5-6cy (argenteus), 05 May 2005 & 09 May 2006. Breeding bird at Moerdijk, Netherlands.
Herring
Gull 6T 4-5cy male (argenteus), 21 May 2005 & 09 May 2006. Breeding bird at Moerdijk, Netherlands.
Herring
Gull E4 4cy male (argenteus), 02 May 2006. Breeding bird at Moerdijk, Netherlands.
Herring
Gull HK 5cy female (argenteus), 04 May 2006. Breeding bird at Moerdijk, Netherlands.
Herring
Gull HT 5cy male (argenteus), 05 May 2006. Breeding bird at Moerdijk, Netherlands.
Herring
Gull J2 5cy male (argenteus), 05 May 2006. Breeding bird at Moerdijk, Netherlands.
Herring
Gull NU 5cy male (argenteus), 23 May 2006. Breeding bird at Moerdijk, Netherlands.
Herring
Gull 4cy (argenteus), May 02 2012, Maasvlakte, the Netherlands.
Herring Gull sub-adult (argenteus), May 31 2002, EMO - Maasvlakte, the Netherlands (51.59N,04.02E).
A clear sub-adult bird, nonetheless with a nest and two relatively
large chicks. Compared to the surrounding Lesser Black-backed Gulls,
this brood is doing well.