European herring gull
larus argentatus latin

European Herring Gulls are known to be capable of seeing ultraviolet light.

European Herring Gulls can frequently be seen to drop shelled prey from a height in order to break the shell.

It is also common for each European Herring Gull pair to successfully rear three chicks per year.

Such birds are most easily distinguished by the larger size and larger bill of European Herring Gull.

European Herring Gull flocks have a loose pecking order, based on size, aggressiveness and physical strength.

In addition, the European Herring Gull has been observed using pieces of bread as bait with which to catch goldfish.

Like most gulls, European Herring Gulls are long lived, with a maximum age of 49 years recorded.

As a direct result of this, European Herring Gull populations in Britain skyrocketed.

The European Herring Gull attains adult plumage and reaches sexual maturity at an average age of four years.

The European Herring Gull also has a yelping alarm call and a low barking anxiety call.

Common Eiders often come and sit by them and European Herring Gulls fly around the general area.

European Herring Gulls are also abundant around inland rubbish dumps, and some have even adapted to life in inland cities.

Parasites of European Herring Gulls include the fluke Microphallus piriformes.

Immature birds tend to be darker and more uniformly brown than European Herring Gulls and have a dark tail.

European Herring Gulls are almost exclusively sexually monogamous and may pair up for life, provided that the couple are successful in hatching their eggs.

The European Herring Gull is an increasingly common roof-nesting bird in urban areas of the UK.

The European Herring Gull is intelligent and will completely ignore most 'bird scaring' technology after determining that it poses no threat.

C. argentati - European herring gull (Larus argentatus)

European Herring Gulls may be observed rhythmically drumming their feet upon the ground for prolonged periods of time in a behaviour that superficially resembles Irish stepdancing.

European Herring Gull chicks and fledglings emit a distinctive, repetitive high-pitched 'peep', accompanied by a head-flicking gesture when begging for food from, or calling to their parents.

The Clean Air Act 1956 forbade the burning of refuse at landfill sites, providing the European Herring Gull with a regular and plentiful source of food.

In 2009, the RSPB placed the European Herring Gull on its 'Red List' of threatened bird species, affording it the highest possible conservation status.

A 2002 study suggested that the American Herring Gull is not closely related to European Herring Gulls, belonging instead to a separate clade of gulls.

Adult European Herring Gulls are similar to Ring-billed Gulls but are much larger, have pinkish legs, and a much thicker yellow bill with more pronounced gonys.

Despite the increasing number of urban European Herring Gulls in the UK, the species, when taken as a whole is declining significantly across the country, its population having decreased by 50% in 25 years.