American Herring Gull

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American Herring Gull by Joachim Bertrands | Ornis Birding Expeditions / Macaulay Library

Gulls

American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus

ORDER: Charadriiformes
FAMILY: Laridae

Basic Description

Spiraling above a fishing boat or squabbling at a dock or parking lot, American Herring Gulls are the quintessential gray-and-white, pink-legged "seagulls." They're the most familiar gulls of the North Atlantic and can be found across much of coastal North America in winter. A variety of plumages worn in their first four years can make identification tricky—so begin by learning to recognize their beefy size and shape.

More ID Info

image of range map for American Herring Gull

Year-roundBreedingMigrationNonbreeding

Range map provided by Birds of the World

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Find This Bird

Look for American Herring Gulls soaring along coastal shorelines, feeding on beaches, or squabbling at refuse dumps. Almost any large open space near water can become a winter hangout. Except along the north Atlantic Coast, the Great Lakes, and southern Alaskan coast, expect to see only nonbreeding adults and a motley array of immature gulls. These may be hard to recognize at first until you learn their beefy profiles. Once you know this fairly common species, they can help you identify other gull species.

Other Names

Gaviota Argéntea Americana (Spanish)
Goéland hudsonien (French)

Cool Facts
- In 2024, ornithologists split the Herring Gull, found across much of the Northern Hemisphere, into four species: American Herring Gull, European Herring Gull, Mongolian Gull, and Vega Gull. The American Herring Gull breeds in Canada and the United States and spends the nonbreeding season as far south as Central America.
- The American Herring Gull has extended its breeding range southward along the Atlantic Coast, and may be displacing the more southern Laughing Gull from some areas. At the northern end of its range, however, the American Herring Gull is itself being displaced by increasing numbers of the Great Black-backed Gull.
- Breeding brings special dietary challenges for American Herring Gulls. During courtship, males feed their mates, losing fat reserves in the process. Then egg-laying reduces the females’ protein and bone calcium, and they seek out marine invertebrates and fish to replenish stores. After chicks hatch, both parents feed them day and night for up to 12 weeks, splitting foraging shifts to offer each chick up to half a pound of food per day as it nears fledging.
- Sibling rivalry is a problem in the bird world, too. The third chick in an American Herring Gull clutch can have it especially tough. While the first two chicks hatch the same day, the third is born a day or two later, weighs less, gets less food, and grows more slowly.
- Incubating American Herring Gulls often pant to cool off. They orient their bodies to keep darker plumage out of direct sun as best they can, but short of dipping their feet and legs into water, their mouth lining is their best means of shedding heat
- American Herring Gulls are one of the most familiar gulls of the East Coast and many people just call them “seagulls.” In fact, some two dozen different species of gulls live in North America, and they present almost endless opportunities for identification.
- American Herring Gulls prefer drinking freshwater, but they'll drink seawater when they must. Special glands located over the eyes allow them to excrete the salt that would otherwise dehydrate most animals, including humans. The salty excretion can be seen dripping out of their nostrils and off the ends of their bills.
- Young American Herring Gulls appear to be more migratory than adults. In some areas, such as the Great Lakes, most adults remain near their breeding grounds, but the nonbreeders move father south in the fall.
- The oldest recorded American Herring Gull was at least 29 years, 3 months old when it was seen in the wild in Michigan in 2015 and identified by its band. It was originally banded in Wisconsin in 1986.