Heuglin's Gull (L. heuglini / antelius)

(last update: 10-2-2011)

Heuglini distribution 

Map here free after Malling Olsen and internet data. Accuracy changes through time, with graellsii gradually expanding westwards into Greenland and northern America from year 2000. Fuscus seems to be widespread on this map, but actually situation alarming with only low breeding numbers on islands in Scandinavia and nowadays mixed colonies in N Norway. Also heuglini and taimyrensis have low breeding densitity over their vaste remote range.

The Lesser Black-backed Gull group (Larus fuscus in the broadest sense) breed in western and northern Europe in four different taxa: most western form graellsii breeds commonly from Portugal (<10 pairs in 2000) to Iceland and the Netherlands; from here there is a more or less broad gradual mixing zone into intermedius, which is found in Denmark, southern Norway and the Swedish west coast. From northern Norway and central Sweden eastwards we find fuscus; and from the Kola Peninsula heuglini. In the arctic part of Asia to the east three more, less investigated taxa, are found: taimyrensis, birulai and vegae (Glutz of Blotzheim & Bauer 1982).