Western Palearctic Gull Species (1 Viewer)

Blackstart · Aug 30, 2004

Hi all,

Would someone be so kind as to list the currently recognized gull species for the western palearctic region?

Thanks,

Adam

M Cowming · Aug 30, 2004

I'll have a quick go!

Black-headed Gull
Slender-billed Gull
Little Gull
Common Gull
Mediterranean Gull
Herring Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Caspian Gull
Audouin's Gull
Lesser black-backed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Pallas's Gull
Kittiwake
Sabine's Gull
Glaucous Gull
Iceland Gull
Ivory Gull
Sooty Gull
White-eyed Gull

Vagrants from North America some of which are quite regularly recorded;

Ross's Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Laughing Gull
Franklin's Gull
Thayer's Gull

Not sure about the status of Yellow-legged and Caspian Gull as full species in European countries. They haven't reached that elevation in Ireland yet!

Someone will have a more detailed account soon i'm sure. This will get you started!

Regards,

Grousemore · Aug 30, 2004

I can't guarantee its accuracy,but here is a list I have to start you off:-

Sooty Gull Larus hemprichii
White-eyed Gull Larus leucophthalmus
Pallas's Gull Larus ichthyaetus
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
Brown-headed Gull Larus brunnicephalus
Grey-headed Gull Larus cirrocephalus
Slender-billed Gull Larus genei
Audouin’s Gull Larus audouinii
Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis
Mew Gull Larus canus
Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus graellsii
Baltic Gull Larus fuscus
Pontic Gull Larus cachinnans
Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis
European Herring Gull Larus argentatus
American Herring Gull Larus smithsonianus
Heuglin's Gull Larus heuglini
Armenian Gull Larus armenicus
Glaucous-winged Gull Larus glaucescens
Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides
Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus
Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus
Ross’s Gull Rhodosthethia rosea
Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea

Docmartin · Aug 30, 2004

Grousemore said:
I can't guarantee its accuracy,but here is a list I have to start you off:-

Not sure about Brown-headed. i would remove Baltic, as a definite non-split, and you could add Thayer's Gull L. thayeri.

Martin

mountain man · Aug 30, 2004

All I can add is Thayer's Gull (if it is indeed a species)

mountain man · Aug 30, 2004

Docmartin said:
Not sure about Brown-headed. i would remove Baltic, as a definite non-split, and you could add Thayer's Gull L. thayeri.

Martin

Ooh, but no mention of Caspian/Yellow-legged! Are you hinting at a possible BOU split, Martin?

Docmartin · Aug 30, 2004

tom mckinney said:
Ooh, but no mention of Caspian/Yellow-legged! Are you hinting at a possible BOU split, Martin?

Ahahaha. OK there are several areas of trevor's taxonomy that I think are uncertain or unproven, but I don't object strongly enough to dispute them... is that unclear enough??? :gh:

M

Edward woodwood · Aug 30, 2004

unclear enough Martin!

if we start discussing the taxonomy we'll be here all week, and the week after that....

Grousemore · Aug 30, 2004

Docmartin said:
Ahahaha. OK there are several areas of trevor's taxonomy that I think are uncertain or unproven, but I don't object strongly enough to dispute them... is that unclear enough??? :gh:

M

"Trevor's taxonomy"....I like the sound of that!
However, my list was qualified as being of uncertain accuracy, but it may be useful to develop a definitive current listing.

Edward woodwood · Aug 30, 2004

doubt we'll get a definitive list Trev - too many taxo arguments/unfinished studies

list of WP gulls (Trev., 2004) is more than accurate enough for me.

mountain man · Aug 30, 2004

Is the idea of Kumlien's being a seperate species or even race now totally out of the question? Kumlien's is a UK400 bird isn't it? Do you keep a UK400 list Martin? ;-)

M Cowming · Aug 30, 2004

Isn't Kumlien's Gull a hybrid of Thayer's and Iceland?

mountain man · Aug 30, 2004

According to some people and not according to others! I've seen them and they are pretty different next to an Iceland (not just in primaries), but the amount of variation you can get in them does tend to point to them not being all that pure. I don't count them as anything on any list I have.

Blackstart · Aug 30, 2004

Thanks for the lists, however definitive or not.

So there isn't a general consensus on Baltic Gull?

-Adam

Edward woodwood · Aug 30, 2004

several articles on this in Birding World over last few years and i think the AERC taxonomic paper recently covered this?

Jasonbirder · Aug 30, 2004

Kumlien`s isn`t a UK400 split and I think it is a long way behind other Gull`s in it`s splitting potential

UK400 differs from the BOU list in considering Thayers, Yellow-legged and Caspian as full species...

Birdspotter · Aug 30, 2004

UK400 differs from the BOU list in considering Thayers, Yellow-legged and Caspian as full species...[/QUOTE]

I think that Gull taxonomy has a Long,long long way to go yet, certainly with certain species.
I for one think Yellow Legger and Caspian should be split but I clearly dont know enough about DNA and the appliance of science of Zanussi so i dont count these sub species/species just yet.
I will wait untill the BOU/BOURC tell me its split not the 400 Club or Splitting 'sorry' Birding World tell me so.
I think that the current European system is a mess, in one corner we have the Dutch who rightly or wrongly split everything and in the other corner we have the more laid back Brits.
Surely its time for Taxonomic descisions to be taken on an international level
with a board of members drawn from across the world.

Docmartin · Aug 30, 2004

Birdspotter said:
Surely its time for Taxonomic descisions to be taken on an international level
with a board of members drawn from across the world.

Up to a point, it is. The Association of European Rarities and Records Committees (AERC) has a taxonomic advisory committee made up of representatives of the 5 European countries that have a taxonomic committee.
IN December last year it produced a summary draft of recommendations, available from http://aerc.be/aerc_tac.htm
National committees have varied in their adoption of it (France and Sweden yes, others no), but it is an attempt to produce a consensus European taxonomy.

M

Docmartin · Aug 30, 2004

tom mckinney said:
Is the idea of Kumlien's being a seperate species or even race now totally out of the question? Kumlien's is a UK400 bird isn't it? Do you keep a UK400 list Martin? ;-)

The current view is that kumlieni is a hybrid population derived by intergradation (or hybridisation, depending how you see it) between thayeri and glaucoides. It's not really even a subspecies. There is a full range of intergradation. The question is whether Thayers and Iceland are specifically distinct. It's difficult to split them, given the Kumlien's situation, but historical evidence is that Thayers and Iceland previously existed in close (ish) association without immediate mixing, and they may well merit specific distinction. BOU has them all one species. But in Northern Ireland, they're a split.

And no.

M

Edward woodwood · Aug 30, 2004

the AERC download page given by Martin above is excellent reading for anyone interested in taxonomic issues concerning WP species

Birdspotter - the AERC is moving towards a heterogenous European position on taxonomy...the above docs are very interesting reading.

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