Herring Gull

Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Herring Gull, provided by xeno-canto contributors.

This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

UK Birds of Conservation Concern	Red listed
Species of European Conservation Concern	Least Concern
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global)	Least Concern
Schedule 1 license required (to disturb)	No
Birds Directive Annex 1	No
Listed on the Annexes of	WBD(II*), NERC (41)

The Herring Gull has declined considerably since the 1969–70 Census, with the coastal population falling by more than 50% by the time of Seabird 2000 (1998–2002). Annual monitoring suggests that further declines have occurred since Seabird 2000 and the results from the recent Seabirds Count (2015–21) are expected to confirm the severity of this decline in coastal breeding Herring Gulls (JNCC 2022). Small numbers breed inland, usually on rooftops, where they are difficult to survey; hence the status of the overall UK population is less clear. It is believed that these populations are increasing but still make up only a relatively small proportion of the UK population and that the increases in urban areas do not compensate for the declines elsewhere, but further assessment and future monitoring of urban populations is needed.

UK breeding population

+40% increase (1995–2022)

Herring Gulls are widely distributed throughout lowland areas of Britain, with the highest concentrations near the coast. In Ireland, the distribution is more coastal.. In the breeding season the distribution is predominantly coastal, but the species readiness to nest on buildings has allowed it to colonise urban areas.

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Occupied 10-km squares in UK

No. occupied in breeding season	1242
% occupied in breeding season	41
No. occupied in winter	2501
% occupied in winter	83

European Distribution Map

European Breeding Bird Atlas 2

Breeding Season Habitats

Most frequent in

Open Shore

Relative frequency by habitat

Relative occurrence in different habitat types during the breeding season.

Herring Gull breeding populations have declined significantly in size but few colonies have been completely lost. The breeding distribution change map implies that the greatest losses have been in coastal areas of western Ireland and western Scotland. Gains shown in urban areas are indicative of the divergence in trends between increasing urban and declining rural breeding populations.

Herring Gulls are recorded throughout the year.

View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.

View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report

Typical Lifespan	12 years with breeding typically at 4 year
Adult Survival	0.88±0.013   (Male: 0.858±0.02 Female: 0.989±0.016)
Juvenile Survival	0.63 (to age 4)

Wing Length	Adults	414.5±19.7 | Range 385–448mm, N=1125
	Juveniles	405.7±20.1 | Range 375-440mm, N=582

Body Weight	Adults	971±152.3 | Range 757–1260g, N=974
	Juveniles	957±343.3 | Range 710–1210g, N=473

Feather measurements and photos on featherbase

Ring size	G
Field Codes	2-letter: HG | 5-letter code: HERGU | Euring: 5921

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Causes of change

The main drivers of the population changes are unclear. However, botulism is believed to be one important factor behind the declines which occurred between 1969–70 and Seabird 2000 (Mitchell et al. 2004), at a time when other seabird species including Lesser Black-backed Gull were increasing. Recent declines particularly at rural and coastal colonies may be associated with the factors that have affected other gull species: reduced breeding success resulting from reduced feeding opportunties due to closure of landfill sites and a reduction in fisheries discards (Mitchell et al. 2004; Bicknell et al. 2013). Increases in urban areas are likely to be driven by the fact that they provide both increased foraging opportunties and safe nesting sites that are relatively predator free in comparison with natural sites (Raven & Coulson 1997).