Herring Gull Photo Index

Herring Gull Larus argentatus YLG 'lookalikes': Herring Gulls in winter with dark mantle and very white heads

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In above images, note clean white head and dark shade of grey to upperparts, recalling Yellow-legged Gull. However, the 'Herring Gull pink' legs and the very prominent white tips to the primaries confirm that it is a Herring Gull.

This 'zoomed' image reveals clearly that the legs are 'Herring Gull pink'

© A. R. Dean

By mid to late December, Herring Gulls may become very white-headed. This is particularly so with individuals of the race argenteus. However, by early January, some nominate argentatus too may become white-headed, as in the individual depicted above. Such white-headed individuals may look very different from surrounding Herring Gulls, particularly individuals with heavily streaked heads and relatively restricted amounts of black in the wing-tip. Although argenteus has a relatively pale mantle,  the shade of grey in argentatus overlaps with that of Yellow-legged Gull. At this stage of the winter, a white-headed, dark-mantled argentatus can easily  be misidentified as Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis . Thus, it is especially important from late-December onwards to use a full suite of characters in identifying Yellow-legged Gull. When gulls such as this are observed in good light and are perched on land or ice, then features such as their 'Herring Gull pink' legs and the disposition of black and white in their primaries confirm their identity. However, when gulls are observed in fading light at roost sites, where features such as leg colour and precise pattern of primaries are difficult or impossible to determine, distinguishing between them and Yellow-legged Gull can be more challenging than is sometimes acknowledged. See gallery of Yellow-legged Gull  images, especially this image, for discussion of characters of michahellis.