Larus
Herring Gull
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Charadriiformes Family: Laridae Genus: Larus Linnaeus, 1758
Species
Many, see list Image File history File links Download high resolution version (821x713, 289 KB) Beschreibung Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Herring Gull ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... “Animalia” redirects here. ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... “Aves” redirects here. ... Families Thinocoridae Pedionomidae Scolopacidae Rostratulidae Jacanidae Chionididae Burhinidae Haematopodidae Recurvirostridae Ibidorhynchidae Charadriidae Pluvianellidae Dromadidae Glareolidae Stercorariidae Rhynchopidae Laridae Sternidae Alcidae Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. ... Genera Pagophila Larus Rissa Creagus Xema Rhodostethia Gulls are seabirds in the family Laridae and subfamily Lari. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 23, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ...

Larus is a large genus of seabirds to which most gulls belong. It has a world-wide distribution, and many of its species are abundant and well-known birds in their ranges. The Sooty Tern is highly aerial and marine and will spend years flying at sea without returning to land. ... Look up gull in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

They are in general medium to large birds, typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. “Aves” redirects here. ... The beak—otherwise known as the bill or rostrum—is an external anatomical structure which serves as the mouth in some animals. ...

The taxonomy of the large gulls in the Herring and Lesser Black-backed complex is very complicated, different authorities recognising between two and eight species. See also Hybridisation in gulls. Binomial name Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763 The Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, is a large gull which breeds across North America, Europe and Asia. ... Binomial name Larus fuscus Linnaeus, 1758 The Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus is a large gull which breeds on the Atlantic coasts of Europe. ... Hybridisation in gulls occurs quite frequently, although to varying degrees depending on the species involved. ...

Systematics and evolution

List of species

• Dolphin Gull, Larus scoresbii
• Pacific Gull, Larus pacificus
• Belcher's Gull, Larus belcheri
• Olrog's Gull, Larus atlanticus
• Black-tailed Gull, Larus crassirostris
• Grey Gull, Larus modestus
• Heermann's Gull, Larus heermanni
• White-eyed Gull, Larus leucophthalmus
• Sooty Gull, Larus hemprichii
• Common Gull or Mew Gull, Larus canus
• Audouin's Gull, Larus audouinii
• Ring-billed Gull, Larus delawarensis
• California Gull, Larus californicus
• Great Black-backed Gull, Larus marinus
• Kelp Gull, Larus dominicanus
• Glaucous-winged Gull, Larus glaucescens
• Western Gull, Larus occidentalis
• Yellow-footed Gull, Larus livens
• Glaucous Gull, Larus hyperboreus
• Iceland Gull, Larus glaucoides
• Thayer's Gull, Larus thayeri
• Herring Gull, Larus argentatus
• Heuglin's Gull, Larus heuglini
• American Herring Gull, Larus smithsonianus
• Yellow-legged Gull, Larus michahellis
• Caspian Gull, Larus cachinnans
• East Siberian Herring Gull, Larus vegae
  

  

  A Silver Gull at the pier of Sale, Australia
  

  

  A Herring Gull (front) and a Lesser Black-backed Gull (behind) in Poland: two species with clear differences.
  • Birula's Gull, Larus vegae birulai
• Armenian Gull, Larus armenicus
• Slaty-backed Gull, Larus schistisagus
• Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus
• Great Black-headed Gull, Larus ichthyaetus
• Brown-headed Gull, Larus brunnicephalus
• Grey-headed Gull, Larus cirrocephalus
• Hartlaub's Gull, Larus hartlaubii
• Silver Gull, Larus novaehollandiae
• Red-billed Gull, Larus scopulinus
• Black-billed Gull, Larus bulleri
• Brown-hooded Gull, Larus maculipennis
• Black-headed Gull, Larus ridibundus
• Slender-billed Gull, Larus genei
• Bonaparte's Gull, Larus philadelphia
• Saunders' Gull, Larus saundersi
• Andean Gull, Larus serranus
• Mediterranean Gull, Larus melanocephalus
• Relict Gull, Larus relictus
• Lava Gull, Larus fuliginosus
• Laughing Gull, Larus atricilla
• Franklin's Gull, Larus pipixcan
• Little Gull, Larus minutus

Fossils of Larus gulls are known since the Late Oligocene or Early Miocene, c.23 mya, though allocation of the earliest fossils to this genus is not completely certain. Biogeography of the fossil record suggests that the genus evolved in the northern Atlantic and spread globally during the Pliocene, when species diversity seems to have been highest as with most seabirds. Binomial name Larus scoresbii Traill, 1823 The Dolphin Gull (Larus scoresbii), also known as the sexy-billed Gull, is a gull native to southern Chile and Argentina, Tierra del Fuego, and the Falkland Islands. ... Binomial name Larus pacificus Latham,, 1802 The Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus) is a very large gull, native to the coasts. ... Binomial name Larus belcheri Vigors, 1829 The Belchers Gull or Band-tailed Gull, Larus belcheri, is a South American gull. ... Binomial name Larus crassirostris Vieillot, 1818 The Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris) is a medium-sized (46cm) gull. ... Binomial name Larus modestus Tschudi, 1843 The Grey Gull (Larus modestus) is a gull found in South America. ... Binomial name Larus heermanni Cassin, 1852 The Heermanns Gull (Larus heermanni) is a gull resident in the United States and Mexico. ... Binomial name Larus leucophthalmus Temminck, 1825 The White-eyed Gull (Larus leucophthalmus) is a small gull which is endemic to the Red Sea. ... Binomial name Larus canus Linnaeus, 1758 The Common Gull, Larus canus is a medium-sized gull which breeds in the northwest of North America (where it is called Mew Gull), Europe and Asia. ... Binomial name Larus audouinii Payraudeau, 1826 The Audouins Gull (Larus audouinii) is a large gull restricted to the Mediterranean and the western coast of Saharan Africa. ... Binomial name Larus delawarensis Ord, 1815 The Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) is a medium-sized gull. ... Binomial name Larus californicus (Lawrence, 1854) Subspecies Lawrence, 1854 Great Basin California Gull Jehl, 1987 Great Plains Galifornia Gull The California Gull, Larus californicus, is a medium-sized gull, smaller than the Herring Gull but larger than the Ring-billed Gull. ... Binomial name Larus marinus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Great Black-backed Gull, Larus marinus, is a very large gull which breeds on the European and North American coasts and islands of the North Atlantic. ... Binomial name Larus dominicanus (Lichtenstein, 1823) The Kelp Gull, Larus dominicanus, breeds on coasts and islands through much of the southern hemisphere. ... Binomial name Larus glaucescens (Naumann, 1840) The Glaucous-winged Gull, Larus glaucescens, is a large, white-headed gull residing from the Aleutians to the western coast of Alaska to the coast of Washington. ... Binomial name Larus occidentalis (Audubon, 1839) The Western Gull, Larus occidentalis, is a large white-headed gull that lives on the western coast of North America. ... Binomial name Larus livens (Dwight, 1919) The Yellow-footed Gull, Larus livens, is a large gull, closely related to the Western Gull and thought to be a subspecies until the 1960s. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Binomial name Larus glaucoides Meyer, 1822 The Iceland Gull, Larus glaucoides, is a large gull which breeds in the arctic regions of Canada and Greenland, but not Iceland, where it is only seen in the winter. ... Binomial name Larus thayeri WS Brooks, 1915 Synonyms Larus glaucoides thayeri The Thayers Gull (Larus thayeri) is a large gull native to North America that breeds in the Arctic islands of Canada and primarily winters on the Pacific coast, from southern Alaska to the Gulf of California, though there... Binomial name Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763 The Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, is a large gull which breeds across North America, Europe and Asia. ... Binomial name Larus heuglini Bree, 1876 Heuglins Gull, Larus heuglini, is a seabird in the genus Larus. ... Binomial name Larus cachinnans Pallas, 1811 The Yellow-legged Gull, Larus cachinnans, is a large gull. ... Binomial name Larus cachinnans Pallas, 1811 Caspian Gull is a name applied to the gull taxon Larus (argentatus) cachinnans, a member of the Herring Gull/Lesser Black-backed Gull complex. ... Binomial name Larus argentatus Pontopiddan, 1763 The Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, is a large gull which breeds across North America Europe and Asia. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1074, 195 KB) Larus novaehollandiae (Silver Gull), adult, on the pier, at Sale, Australia File links The following pages link to this file: Sale, Victoria Gull Pier Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates Silver Gull Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Tree of Life Wikipedia:Featured... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1074, 195 KB) Larus novaehollandiae (Silver Gull), adult, on the pier, at Sale, Australia File links The following pages link to this file: Sale, Victoria Gull Pier Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates Silver Gull Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Tree of Life Wikipedia:Featured... Binomial name Larus novaehollandiae Stephens, 1826 The Silver Gull (Larus novaehollandiae) is the most common gull seen in Australia. ... Sale is a city in the Australian state of Victoria, in Wellington Shire. ... Image File history File linksMetadata PT05_ubt. ... Image File history File linksMetadata PT05_ubt. ... Binomial name Larus argentatus Pontopiddan, 1763 The Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, is a large gull which breeds across North America Europe and Asia. ... Binomial name Larus schistisagus Stejneger, 1884 The Slaty-backed Gull, Larus schistisagus, is a large white-headed gull that breeds on the western coast of Alaska but travels widely during nonbreeding seasons. ... Binomial name Larus fuscus Linnaeus, 1758 The Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus is a large gull which breeds on the Atlantic coasts of Europe. ... Binomial name Larus ichthyaetus Pallas, 1773 The Great Black-headed Gull or Pallass Gull, Larus ichthyaetus, is a large gull. ... Binomial name Larus brunnicephalus Jerdon, 1840 The Brown-headed Gull , Larus brunnicephalus, is a small gull which breeds in the high plateaux of central Asia from Turkmenistan to Mongolia. ... Binomial name Larus cirrocephalus Vieillot, 1818 The Grey-headed Gull (Larus cirrocephalus) is a small gull which breeds patchily in South America and Africa south of the Sahara. ... Binomial name Larus hartlaubii Bruch, 1853 The Hartlaubs Gull or King Gull, (Larus hartlaubii) is a small gull which is a non-migratory breeding resident endemic to the Atlantic Ocean coastline of South Africa and Namibia. ... Binomial name Larus novaehollandiae Stephens, 1826 The Silver Gull (Larus novaehollandiae) is the most common gull seen in Australia. ... Binomial name Larus scopulinus Forster, 1844 The Red-billed Gull Larus scopulinus is a native of New Zealand, being found throughout the country and on outlying islands including the Chatham Islands and Sub-antarctic islands. ... Binomial name Larus ridibundus Linnaeus, 1766 The Black-headed Gull, (Larus ridibundus), is a small gull which breeds in much of Europe and Asia, and also in coastal eastern Canada. ... Binomial name Larus genei Breme, 1839 The Slender-billed Gull, Larus genei, is a small gull which breeds very locally around the Mediterranean and the northern western Indian Ocean (e. ... Binomial name Larus philadelphia (Ord, 1815) The Bonapartes Gull, Larus philadelphia, is a small gull. ... Binomial name Larus melanocephalus Temminck, 1820 The Mediterranean Gull, Larus melanocephalus, is a small gull which breeds almost entirely in Europe, mainly in the south east, especially around the Black Sea, and in central Turkey. ... Binomial name Larus relictus Lönnberg, 1931 The Relict Gull, Larus relictus, is a medium-sized gull which breeds in two locations in Kazakhstan, one in Russia, several in Mongolia, and one in China. ... Binomial name Larus fulginosus Gould, 1841 The Lava Gull (Larus fuliginosus) is a large gull, probably related to the Laughing Gull. ... Binomial name Larus atricilla Linnaeus, 1758 Adult winter Laughing Gulls The Laughing Gull, Larus atricilla, is a medium-sized gull of North and South America. ... Binomial name Larus pipixcan Wagler, 1831 The Franklins Gull (Larus pipixcan) is a small gull. ... Binomial name Larus minutus Pallas, 1776 The Little Gull Larus minutus, is a small gull which breeds in northern Europe and Asia. ... FOSSIL is a standard for allowing serial communication for telecommunications programs under DOS. FOSSIL is an acronym for Fido Opus Seadog Standard Interface Layer. ... The Oligocene epoch is a geologic period of time that extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present. ... The Miocene Epoch is a period of time that extends from about 23. ... In astronomy, geology, and paleontology, mya is an acronym for million years ago and is used as a unit of time to denote length of time before the present. ... Biogeography is the science which deals with patterns of species distribution and the processes that result in such patterns. ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one_fifth of its surface. ... The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts) is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5. ...

• Larus elegans (Late Oligocene?/Early Miocene of St-Gérand-le-Puy, France)
• Larus totanoides (Late Oligocene?/Early Miocene of SE France)
• Larus sp. (Grund Middle Miocene of Austria)
• Larus sp. (Middle Miocene of Romania) (Olson, 1985)
• Larus sp. (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, USA) - several species (Olson, 1985)
• Larus elmorei (Bone Valley Early/Middle Pliocene of SE USA)
• Larus lacus (Pinecrest Late Pliocene of SE USA)
• Larus perpetuus (Pinecrest Late Pliocene of SE USA)
• Larus sp. (San Diego Late Pliocene of SW USA)
• Larus oregonus (Late Pliocene - Late Pleistocene of WC USA)
• Larus robustus (Late Pliocene - Late Pleistocene of WC USA)
• Larus sp. (Lake Manix Late Pleistocene of W USA)

The Early Miocene "Larus" desnoyersii (SE France) and "Larus" pristinus (John Day Formation, Willow Creek, USA) probably do not belong into this genus; the former may be a skua (Olson, 1985). For other uses: see Skua (disambiguation). ...

Ring species

The Larus gulls hybridize in a ring around the arctic

A classic example of ring species is the Larus gulls circumpolar species "ring". The range of these gulls forms a ring around the North Pole. The Herring Gull, which lives primarily in Great Britain, can hybridize with the American Herring Gull (living in North America), which can also interbreed with the Vega or East Siberian Herring Gull, the western subspecies of which, Birula's Gull, can hybridize with Heuglin's gull, which in turn can interbreed with the Siberian Lesser Black-backed Gull (all four of these live across the north of Siberia). The last is the eastern representative of the Lesser Black-backed Gulls back in northwestern Europe, including Great Britain. However, the Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gull are sufficiently different that they cannot interbreed; thus the group of gulls forms a continuum except in Europe where the two lineages meet. A recent genetic study has shown that this example is far more complicated than presented here (Liebers et al, 2004). Image File history File links Download high resolution version (505x611, 24 KB)Diagram showing the ring species formed by herring gulls in the arctic, created by Viki Male 13/09/04 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (505x611, 24 KB)Diagram showing the ring species formed by herring gulls in the arctic, created by Viki Male 13/09/04 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old... In this diagram, interbreeding populations are represented by coloured blocks. ... For other uses, see North Pole (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763 The Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, is a large gull which breeds across North America, Europe and Asia. ... // This article is about a biological term. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Binomial name Larus argentatus Pontopiddan, 1763 The Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, is a large gull which breeds across North America Europe and Asia. ... Binomial name Larus heuglini Bree, 1876 Heuglins Gull, Larus heuglini, is a seabird in the genus Larus. ... It has been suggested that Western Siberia be merged into this article or section. ... Binomial name Larus fuscus Linnaeus, 1758 The Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus is a large gull which breeds on the Atlantic coasts of Europe. ...

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Larus

• Harrison, Peter (1988): Seabirds (2nd ed.). Christopher Helm, London ISBN 0-7470-1410-8

• Liebers, Dorit; de Knijff, Peter & Helbig, Andreas J. (2004): The herring gull complex is not a ring species. Proc. Roy. Soc. B 271(1542): 893-901. DOI:10.1098/rspb.2004.2679 PDF fulltext Electronic Appendix

• Olson, Storrs L. (1985): Section X.D.2.j. Laridae. In: Farner, D.S.; King, J.R. & Parkes, Kenneth C. (eds.): Avian Biology 8: 181-182. Academic Press, New York.