European herring gull
Scientific name: Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763
Overview
The European herring gull or simply herring gull is a large gull, up to 66 cm (26 in) long. It breeds throughout the northern and western coasts of Europe. Some European herring gulls, especially those resident in colder areas, migrate farther south in winter, but many are permanent residents, such as in Ireland, Britain, Iceland, or on the North Sea shores. They have a varied diet, including fish, crustaceans, as well as some plants, and are also scavengers, consuming carrion and food left by or stolen from humans.
From the Wikipedia article “European herring gull”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021.3.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China).
Common names
Also known in English as Herring Gull.
Names in other languages (10)
- Arabic
- نورس فضي
- Chinese
- 银鸥
- French
- Goéland argenté
- German
- Silbermöwe
- Japanese
- セグロカモメ
- Persian
- کاکایی
- Portuguese
- gaivota-argêntea, Gaivota-prateada, gaivota-prateada-europeia
- Russian
- Серебристая чайка
- Spanish
- Gaviota argéntea europea, Gaviota plateada
- Turkish
- Kuzey gümüş martı
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, names in other languages. Q28236, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “European herring gull”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026