American Herring Gull (smithsonianus)

(last update: October 30, 2015)

American Herring Gull (smithsonianus) adult PW February 17 2012, Connecticut landfill. Picture: Mark Szantyr.

Information from Dr. Gregory Robertson, research scientist with Environment Canada: This bird was captured at the landfill in St. John’s NL (Newfoundland) on 25 April 2010, as an adult. One of 29 adult Herring Gulls captured that day. Has not been seen since. It appears this bird is very comfortable in landfills. Your observation confirms a suspicion we have about when the local breeding population moves back to Newfoundland. Our breeding birds are re-sighted in your part of the world in the winter. But by late April it would appear our breeders have returned – this idea is confirmed by a little bit of satellite telemetry data out there. So I would expect PW to be on its way back to Newfoundland in the next 4-6 weeks.”