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The Herring Gull is the common “seagull” of the Algonquin Highlands. Adults are white, with a light grey back and wings. The wing tips are black with white spots. They have a yellow bill with a red spot on the lower mandible, and pink feet. Birds in their first year are brownish in colour, acquiring their adult plumage in 4 years. Sounds make by the Herring Gull are a loud “kuk-kuk-kuk” call, as well as “yucca-yucca-yucca”.
The Herring Gull is a scavenger, feeding on dead fish and other refuse discarded by humans. Most commonly seen around lakes, they soar around the water in search of food. They also eat aquatic animals and berries.
Nesting in small colonies, the Herring Gull builds a nest of seaweed or dead grass. Nests are placed on the ground or on bare rock, usually on small islands. Females lay 2 to 4 heavily spotted, greenish-brown eggs. Although the ground nests are so vulnerable to predators, the young are very mobile by the time they are three or four days old. Frightened young will run for cover or to the water. Human disturbance is also a large threat to young Herring Gulls, who are better off when observed from a distance.
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HERRING GULL
Larus argentatus
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