Herring Gull- Zilvermeeuw (argentatus & argenteus)

(last update: December 15, 2011 )

Herring Gull - 4cy /sub-adults September

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".


September 2004, Herring Gull in Scheveningen harbour.

 

 

 

rings argenteus: France
2cy argenteus in February, ringed in the Netherlands. (27385 bytes)Herring Gull EA-558111 sub-adult (argenteus), September 01 2012, Boulogne/Mer, France. Photo: J-M Sauvage.
rings argenteus: Belgium
1cy argenteus in November, ringed in Belgium. (25637 bytes)Herring Gull FCAV 4cy (argenteus), August-November 2009, Westkapelle, the Netherlands.
1cy argenteus in November, ringed in Belgium. (25637 bytes)Herring Gull FLAH 4cy (argenteus), September 23 2010, Boulogne/Mer, France (50.42N,1.34E). Picture: J-M Sauvage.
Herring Gull (argenteus) PZ.AV 4CY, September 25 2018, Westkapelle, the Netherlands.
Herring Gull (argenteus) BLB H-904703 4CY, September 25 2018, Westkapelle, the Netherlands.
rings argenteus: the Netherlands
Herring Gull argenteus J.Z sub-adult, September 30 2016, Stellendam, the Netherlands.
Herring Gull argenteus R.L sub-adult, September 30 2016, Westkapelle, the Netherlands.
adult argenteus in October, ringed in the Netherlands. (79042 bytes)Herring Gull EU 4cy (argenteus), September 24 2010, Westkapelle, Netherlands. Picture: M v Kleinwee.
2cy argenteus in February, ringed in the Netherlands. (27385 bytes)Herring Gull 5W 4cy (argenteus), September 28 2010, Boulogne/Mer, France. Photo: J-M Sauvage.
sub-adult argenteus in October, ringed in Belgium. (87638 bytes)Herring Gull 3cy-4cy 3V (argenteus) November 13 2009 & September 23 2010, Westkapelle, the Netherlands.
adult argenteus in October, ringed in the Netherlands. (79042 bytes)Herring Gull E114 4cy (argenteus), September 20 2009, Westkapelle, Netherlands. Picture: M v Kleinwee.
3cy Herring Gull in August, ringed in Belgium. (84363 bytes)Herring Gull (argenteus) Y.BDS 1CY-4CY, September 2012 - November 2015, IJmuiden, the Netherlands. Pictures: Maarten van Kleinwee & Mars Muusse.
1cy argenteus in August, ringed in Belgium. (90559 bytes)Herring Gull M.ALR 4cy (argenteus), September 05 2010, IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
sub-ad argenteus in September, ringed in the Netherlands. (77710 bytes)Herring Gull argenteus 5.352.700 4cy, September 21 2004, Scheveningen , the Netherlands.
sub-ad argenteus in September, ringed in the Netherlands. (64983 bytes)Herring Gull  5.352.702 4cy, September 18 2004, IJmuiden, the Netherlands (52.27N, 04.33E).
sub-ad argenteus in September, ringed in the Netherlands. (97177 bytes)Herring Gull argenteus 5.366.997 4cy, September 21 2004, Scheveningen , the Netherlands.
Herring GullHerring Gull 5.419.235 4cy (argenteus), 2009-2011, Leiden, Netherlands.
Herring GullHerring Gull 5.425.462 5+cy (argenteus), September 11 2011, IJmuiden, Netherlands.
Herring GullHerring Gull 5.425.481 5+cy (argenteus), September 11 2011, IJmuiden, Netherlands.
Herring Gull (argenteus) NLA 6176773 1CY, 2CY & 4CY, October 2015, September 2016 & 2018, Westkapelle, the Netherlands. Picture: Maarten van Kleinwee & Mars Muusse.
rings argentatus: Russia
sub-adult argentatus in July, ringed in RussiaHerring Gull (argentatus) RUM ES14360 4CY, July - December 2015, Brouwersdam, the Netherlands. Picture: Ted van der Knaap, Martijn Bot & Mars Muusse.
unringed 4cy Herring Gulls
sub-adult Herring Gull in September. (75836 bytes)Herring Gull 4CY, September 14 2015, Katwijk, the Netherlands.
sub-adult Herring Gull in September. (75836 bytes)Herring Gull (argenteus) sub-adult, September 01 2015, Noordwijk, the Netherlands. 
sub-adult Herring Gull in September. (75836 bytes)Herring Gull (argenteus) sub-adult, September 01 2015, Noordwijk, the Netherlands. 
sub-adult Herring Gull in September. (75836 bytes)Herring Gull argenteus 4cy, September 11 2012, Noordwijk, the Netherlands.
sub-adult Herring Gull in September. (75836 bytes)Herring Gull argenteus sub-adult, September 11 2012, Noordwijk, the Netherlands.
sub-adult Herring Gull in September. (75836 bytes)Herring Gull argenteus sub-adult, September 12 2012, IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
sub-adult Herring Gull in September. (75836 bytes)Herring Gull argenteus sub-adult, September 12 2012, IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
sub-adult Herring Gull in September. (75836 bytes)Herring Gull argenteus sub-adult, September 12 2012, IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
sub-adult Herring Gull in September. (75836 bytes)Herring Gull argenteus 4cy, September 12 2012, IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
sub-adult Herring Gull in September. (75836 bytes)Herring Gull argenteus sub-adult, September 28 2012, Katwijk, the Netherlands.
sub-adult Herring Gull in September. (75836 bytes)Herring Gull argenteus sub-ad, September 21 2004, Scheveningen , the Netherlands.
sub-adult Herring Gull in September. (83721 bytes)Herring Gull argentatus sub-ad, September 21 2004, Scheveningen , the Netherlands. Obvious tertial spots.
sub-adult Herring Gull argentatus in September. (68130 bytes)Herring Gull argentatus sub-ad, September 21 2004, Scheveningen , the Netherlands.
sub-adult Herring Gull in September. (87100 bytes)Herring Gull sub-ad, September 21 2004, Scheveningen , the Netherlands.