American Herring Gull

Larus smithsonianus Coues, 1862

60–66 cmLength1.1 kgWeight

Busiest months: May · Most records: United States, Canada, Mexico

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: May · Most records: United States, Canada, Mexico

American Herring Gull has been recorded at 823 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 37 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Parker River NWRUnited States32,145 records
Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, Lincoln Park, ChicagoUnited States28,442 records
Edwin B. Forsythe NWRUnited States21,805 records

More places

Hammonasset Beach SPUnited States20,556 records
Point Pelee National ParkCanada16,691 records
Central ParkUnited States16,400 records
Tommy Thompson ParkCanada16,145 records
Prospect ParkUnited States15,456 records
Cape Island – South Cape May MeadowsUnited States15,329 records
Cape Island – Cape May Point SPUnited States14,801 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United States Canada Mexico Bermuda St. Pierre & Miquelon Panama Bahamas Cuba

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The American herring gull (Larus smithsonianus or Larus argentatus smithsonianus), also known as the Arctic herring gull or Smithsonian gull, is a large gull that breeds in North America, where it is treated by the American Ornithological Society as distinct from the European herring gull (Larus argentatus).

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the American Herring Gull?

The American Herring Gull is about 60–66 cm long and weighs around 1.1 kg.

Where does the American Herring Gull live?

Its breeding range: North America: northern, western Alaska and northern Yukon across subarctic Canada to Baffin Island and Newfoundland, southern on eastern North Pacific coast to south-central British Columbia; east to Great Lakes, inland northeastern USA and western North Atlantic coast south to North Carolina. It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and Mexico.

When is the best time to see the American Herring Gull?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the American Herring Gull endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the American Herring Gull as Least Concern.

What does the American Herring Gull eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the American Herring Gull in?

It belongs to the family Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae), order Charadriiformes.

At a glance

Length: 60–66 cm
Weight: 1.1 kg
Habitat: Coast & tidal flats
Diet: Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle: Varied
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 430 mm
Tail: 166 mm
Bill: 69 mm
Tarsus: 64 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

North America: northern, western Alaska and northern Yukon across subarctic Canada to Baffin Island and Newfoundland, southern on eastern North Pacific coast to south-central British Columbia; east to Great Lakes, inland northeastern USA and western North Atlantic coast south to North Carolina

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2