Herring Gull- Zilvermeeuw (argentatus & argenteus)

(last update: December 15, 2011 )

Herring Gull - 3cy August

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".

rings argenteus: U.K.
adult argenteus in October, ringed in the Netherlands. (79042 bytes)Herring Gull AD9.T 2cy (argenteus), August 12 2010, Westkapelle, the Netherlands. Also as 2cy.
rings argenteus: Belgium
2cy argentatus in February, ringed in Norway. (75189 bytes)Herring Gull (argenteus) CSAP 3CY, March - August 2010, Koksijde, Belgium. Picture: Peter Adriaens.
Herring GullHerring Gull L-910675 3cy (argenteus), August 27 2011, Boulogne/Mer, France. Picture: J-M Sauvage.
3cy Herring Gull in August, ringed in Belgium. (89317 bytes)Herring Gull H-127132 3cy, August 12 2004, Westkapelle, the Netherlands (51.33N, 03.25E).
adult argenteus in October, ringed in Belgium. (60142 bytes)Herring Gull (argenteus) BLB H-162941 3CY, August 12 & September 01 2010, Westkapelle, the Netherlands.
adult argenteus in October, ringed in Belgium. (60142 bytes)Herring Gull (argenteus) H-162942 3CY, August 19 2010, Westkapelle, the Netherlands.
rings argenteus: the Netherlands
3cy argenteus in August, ringed in the Netherlands. (63685 bytes)Herring Gull (argenteus) 0U 3cy, August 12 2010, Westkapelle, the Netherlands.
1cy argenteus in August, ringed in Belgium. (90559 bytes)Herring Gull argenteus 9U 3CY, August 12 2010, Westkapelle, the Netherlands.
3cy argenteus in August, ringed in the Netherlands. (63685 bytes)Herring Gull (argenteus) W0 3cy, August 12 2010, Westkapelle, the Netherlands.
3cy argenteus in August, ringed in the Netherlands. (63685 bytes) Herring Gull (argenteus) X.Y 3CY, August 16-20 2015, Maasvlakte, the Netherlands. Picture: Leo Snellink.
2cy argenteus in April, ringed in the Netherlands. (75958 bytes)Herring Gull (argenteus) Y.CLA 1CY-3CY, October 2017, April - October 2018, May - August 2019, IJmuiden & Katwijk, the Netherlands.
3cy argenteus in August, ringed in the Netherlands. (63685 bytes)Herring Gull (argenteus) 5.352.670 3cy, August 28 2003, IJmuiden, the Netherlands (52.27N, 04.33E).
2cy argenteus in July, ringed in the Netherlands. (103953 bytes)Herring Gull (argenteus) NLA 5.425.417 3CY, August 25 2011, IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
2cy argenteus in July, ringed in the Netherlands. (103953 bytes)Herring Gull (argenteus) 5.463.321 2cy-3cy, August 29 2012, IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
Seen on several occassions.
2cy argenteus in July, ringed in the Netherlands. (103953 bytes)Herring Gull (argenteus) NLA 6169494 3CY, August 30 2013, Warmond, the Netherlands.
rings argentatus: Germany
2cy argentatus in February, ringed in Norway. (75189 bytes)Herring Gull argentatus AZ56 3CY, Augustus 2014, Scheveningen Haven, the Netherlands. Picture: Merijn Loeve.
rings argentatus: Estonia
3cy argentatus in August, ringed in Estonia. (62964 bytes)Herring Gull 81...39 3cy (argentatus), August 08 & 12 2002, Tampere, Finland (61.31N, 23.43E).
rings argentatus: Finland
3cy argenteus in August, ringed in the Netherlands. (63685 bytes)Herring Gull J0434 3cy (argentatus), August 25 2010, Barneveld, the Netherlands.
3cy argentatus in August, ringed in Finland. (65909 bytes)Herring Gull C525K 3cy (argentatus), August 11 2002, Tampere, Finland (61.31N, 23.43E).
3cy argentatus in August, ringed in Finland. (70017 bytes)Herring Gull C67K0 3cy (argentatus), August 11 2002, Tampere, Finland (61.31N, 23.43E).
3cy argentatus in August, ringed in Finland. (65505 bytes)Herring Gull C5J54 3cy (argentatus), August 12 2002, Tampere, Finland (61.31N, 23.43E).
rings argentatus: Russia
3cy argenteus in August, ringed in the Netherlands. (63685 bytes)Herring Gull KN79 3cy (argentatus), August 12 2006, IJmuiden, the Netherlands (52.27N, 04.33E).
unringed 3cy Herring Gulls
Herring GullHerring Gull 3cy (argenteus), August 20 2012, Katwijk, the Netherlands.
Herring GullHerring Gull 3cy (argenteus), August 20 2012, Katwijk, the Netherlands.
Herring GullHerring Gull 3cy (argenteus), August 22 2012, Katwijk, the Netherlands.
Herring GullHerring Gull 3cy (argenteus), August 22 2012, Katwijk, the Netherlands.
Herring GullHerring Gull 3cy (argenteus), August 20 2012, Katwijk, the Netherlands.
Herring GullHerring Gull 3cy (argenteus) 3cy,August 21 2012, Noordwijk, the Netherlands. P7/-.
Herring GullHerring Gull sub-adult (argenteus) 3cy,August 21 2012, Noordwijk, the Netherlands. 3cy or 4cy.
Herring GullHerring Gull 3cy (argenteus), August 29 2012, IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
Herring GullHerring Gull 3cy (argenteus), August 29 2012, IJmuiden, the Netherlands.
3cy argenteus in August. (77410 bytes)Herring Gull 3cy (argenteus), August 11 2003, Boulogne/Mer, France (50.42N, 1.34E).