How Many Species of Gulls Have You Seen? (1 Viewer)

Nightjar61 · Feb 15, 2006

I just ran across Larry Lade's thread about how many owls people have seen. It made me think about a group of birds that I love, the gulls. What I like about them is that they're big, they usually stay put long enough so you can study and identify them, and they can be long-distance travelers, so some unusual gulls can show up anywhere.

My gull list stands at 31.

Heermann's Gull
Sooty Gull
Mew Gull (aka Common Gull)
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Kelp Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Western Gull
Yellow-footed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Iceland Gull
Thayer's Gull
European Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Heuglin's Gull
American Herring Gull
Caspian Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Slaty-backed Gull
Great Black-headed Gull
Black-headed Gull
Slender-billed Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Andean Gull
Laughing Gull
Franklin's Gull
Little Gull
Ivory Gull
Sabine's Gull
Black-legged Kittiwake

I hope to add Mediterranean Gull and Audoin's Gull to my list on a birding trip to Tunisia in March.

Dave

dendroica_john · Feb 16, 2006

My gull list is a lot shorter than that.

Ring-billed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
American Herring Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Laughing Gull

You can count them on one hand + one finger.

HH75 · Feb 16, 2006

Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus
Laughing Gull Larus atricilla
Franklin's Gull Larus pipixcan
Little Gull Larus minutus
Sabine's Gull Larus sabini
Bonaparte's Gull Larus philadelphia
Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus
Slender-billed Gull Larus genei
Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis
Common Gull Larus canus
Audouin's Gull Larus audouinii
Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
Herring Gull Larus argentatus
American Herring Gull Larus smithsonianus
Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis
Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans
Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides
Thayer's Gull Larus thayeri
Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus
Ross's Gull Rhodostethia rosea
Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla tridactyla
Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea

Keith Dickinson · Feb 16, 2006

Short answer is a lot more than i've been able to identify.

But a short list would be
Gt Black backed
Lssr black backed
Herring
Common(Mew)
Black headed
Mediterranean
Audouins
Little
Bonaparte's
Laughing
Kittiwake
Yellow legged

Edward · Feb 16, 2006

Cheers Harry H, your list was very useful for copying and pasting since it's almost identical to mine (you've seen four I haven't and I've seen two you haven't). Could do with a trip to western NA.

Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus
Grey-headed Gull Larus cirrocephalus
Silver Gull Larus novaehollandiae
Little Gull Larus minutus
Sabine's Gull Larus sabini
Bonaparte's Gull Larus philadelphia
Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus
Slender-billed Gull Larus genei
Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis
Common Gull Larus canus
Audouin's Gull Larus audouinii
Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
Herring Gull Larus argentatus
Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis
Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides
Thayer's Gull Larus thayeri
Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus
Ross's Gull Rhodostethia rosea
Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla tridactyla
Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea

E

Papuan birder · Feb 17, 2006

My list dont include many species and just one seen on PNG.

Grey-headed Gull:Kenya

Lesser black-backed Gull: Sweden and Kenya

Common Gull: Sweden

Common black-headed Gull: Sweden

Great black-backed Gull: Sweden

Herring Gull: Sweden

Silver Gull: Mona Island (Torres Strait, Australia) and Papua New Guinea (winter guest only)

Larry Lade · Feb 17, 2006

Here are the gulls which I have seen so far (with some terns thrown in for good measure).

Herrmann's Gull, Port Angeles, Wa, USA
Ring-billed Gull, St. Joseph, MO, USA
California Gull, LaSalle, CO, USA
Great Black-backed Gull, Macon, MO, USA
Glaucous-winged Gull, Edmonds, WA,USA
Western Gull, Neah Bay, WA, USA
Glaucous Gull, Duluth, MN, USA
Iceland Gull, Duluth, MN, USA
Thayer's Gull, West Alton, MO, USA
Herring Gull, St. Joseph, MO, USA
Lesser Black-backed Gull, Smithville, MO, USA
Gray-headed Gull, Nakuru, Kenya
Common Black-headed Gull, London, England
Bonaparte's Gull, Mound City, MO, USA
Laughing Gull, St. Joseph, MO, USA
Franklin's Gull, St. Joseph, MO, USA
Sabine's Gull, Smithville, MO, USA
Black-legged Kittiwake, St. Joseph, MO, USA

Whiskered Tern, Bogoria, Kenya
White-winged Tern, Bogoria, Kenya
Black Tern, St. Joseph, MO, USA
Gull-billed Tern, Rockport, TX, USA
Caspian Tern, Savannah, MO, USA
Royal Tern, Austwell, TX, USA
Sandwich Tern, Fort Myers, FL, USA
Common Tern, St Joseph, MO, USA
Arctic Tern, Long Branch, NJ, USA
Forster's Tern, St Joseph, MO, USA
Least Tern, St Joseph, MO, USA

Rasmus Boegh · Feb 17, 2006

I guess I'm doing fairly well for someone with a limited interest in gulls (or seabirds in general, for that matter). Species of gulls I still have not seen:

Black-tailed Gull.
White-eyed Gull.
Yellow-footed Gull.
Slaty-backed Gull.
Saunder's Gull.
Relict Gull.

(+ I'm missing the Vega for people following the "splitters taxonomy")

I guess a visit to the Red Sea, Baja California and China would solve the matter. Admittedly, the only Gulls that ever gave me a rush were Grey (they run around like Sandpipers and breed in the desert!), Ross's (a tinge of pink in the artic) and of course the strikingly handsome Swallow-tailed.

Larry Lade · Feb 17, 2006

Rasmus Boegh said:
I guess I'm doing fairly well for someone with a limited interest in gulls (or seabirds in general, for that matter). Species of gulls I still have not seen:

Black-tailed Gull.
White-eyed Gull.
Yellow-footed Gull.
Slaty-backed Gull.
Saunder's Gull.
Relict Gull.

Ramus, there are over twice as many gulls that I have not seen compared to the ones I have seen.

There are currently two 1st winter Glaucous Gulls down at Smithville Lake (Smithville, Missouri). It is quite unusual for them to be in this part of the country. I have been down to see them twice, so far.

Larry Lade · Feb 17, 2006

Someday, I would really like to see the Ross's Gull and/or the Ivory Gull. I think they would be stunning!

Xenospiza · Feb 17, 2006

(Atlantic) Black-legged Kittiwake, Sabine’s, Slender-billed, Bonaparte’s, Black-headed, Saunders’s, Little, Ross’s, Laughing, Franklin’s, Mediterranean, White-eyed, Black-tailed, Common, Ring-billed, California, Great Black-backed, Yellow-legged (incl. Portuguese birds), Armenian, European Herring, Lesser Black-backed (incl. Baltic), Heuglin’s, Caspian, Mongolian, American Herring-Gull.
Saunders's (good numbers with juveniles) and White-eyed (North Beach Eilat) must be the best ones on my list; just saw one Ross's (still awaiting an adult bird).

will bowell · Feb 17, 2006

I have seen oodles.

Will

JANJ · Feb 17, 2006

Well,
all of Harrys, adding-
Western Gull (and some hybrids with the next)
Glaucous-winged Gull
Heermann´s Gull
Mew Gull
California Gull
Yellow-footed Gull
White-eyed Gull
Armenian Gull
'Steppe Gull' (barabensis)
'Heuglin´s Gull'
Pallas´s Gull

Asia next!

JanJ

Charlie M · Feb 18, 2006

Not sure what taxonomy people are using, but I make my count about 40: my favourites include Ross's, Ivory, Relict, Saunders's, Black-tailed, Pallas's, Sooty, White-eyed, Mediterranean, Sabine's and Heermann's. The one I really want to see: Swallow-tailed. What a trip you'd have to be on to see that beauty...one day, one day...

Soaring Skylark · Feb 19, 2006

I haven't seen that many...

Black Headed Gull
Yellow-Legged gull
Lesser Black Backed Gull
Great Black Backed Gull
Ivory Gull
Herring Gull
Common Gull
Ring-Billed Gull
Mediterranean Gull

Thats it. I thought I saw a Ross' at one point, but further investigation disproved that idea, and the lighting was poor.

Edward woodwood · Feb 19, 2006

not counted but doing well i think...

only ones i really liked were the amazing
Relict and Saunders
Andean were nice as they were so high up
ditto Great black-headed

glaring omissions are Sooty and White-eyed

only one i still really want to see is Swallow-tailed

Tim

Andrew Whitehouse · Feb 19, 2006

Depends a bit on splits of course. Going by the species in Olsen & Larsson I get to 27 species. I still, rather shockingly, haven't seen a Sabine's Gull. I'm also missing Laughing Gull, so will be hoping a few find their way to northeast Scotland in the near future.

Jacamar · Feb 19, 2006

It looks like I might have the record for the fewest seen.

Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla)

I must say, though, you can't do much better than that in Guyana!

Tero · Feb 22, 2006

Ha haa! I beat Jacamar at something. Gulls 9 plus a few terns. Could have done better in Iceland, but..

Steve Lister · Feb 23, 2006

I've seen 41 going by Clements. Easier to list the ones I have not seen:

Dolphin, Pacific, Olrog's, Yellow-footed, Thayer's, Steppe (barabensis), Slaty-backed, Hartlaub's, Silver, Red-billed, Black-billed, Relict, Lava, and Swallow-tailed plus Red-legged Kittiwake.

Hope to see two of these during a Galapagos trip in May.

Steve

How Many Species of Gulls Have You Seen? (1 Viewer)

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