HERRING GULL
51. Larus argentatus. 24 in.
Adults in summer, white, with gray mantle, and black primaries tipped with white. In winter, the head and neck are streaked below with grayish brown. Bills of adults, yellow with red spot on lower mandible; eye yellow; feet flesh color; bill of young, flesh color with a blackish tip. These are the most abundant of the larger gulls and the best known because of their southerly distribution. Several of the smaller Maine islands have colonies of thousands of birds each, and in winter great numbers of them are seen in all the harbors along our seacoast. Young gulls are born covered with down, and can run swiftly and swim well.
Notes.—“Cack-cack-cack” and very noisy squawkings when disturbed at their breeding grounds.
Nest.—A hollow in the ground, or a heap of weeds and trash. The three eggs are olive-gray, spotted with black (2.8 × 1.7).
Range.—Breeds from Maine, the Great Lakes and Dakotas northward; winters south to the Gulf of Mexico.
