---
title: "European Herring Gull"
description: "Larus argentatus — Birds. The European herring gull or simply herring gull (Larus argentatus) is a large gull, up to 66 cm (26 in) long."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/european-herring-gull
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# European Herring Gull

> Larus argentatus — Birds. The European herring gull or simply herring gull (Larus argentatus) is a large gull, up to 66 cm (26 in) long.

- Scientific name: *Larus argentatus*
- Category: `birds` (Birds)
- Habitats: `sea` (Sea & coast), `urban` (Towns & gardens)
- iNaturalist observations: 85660
- Wikidata: [Q28236](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q28236)
- iNaturalist taxon: [204533](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/204533)

## Names

- en: European Herring Gull
- de: Silbermöwe
- es: Gaviota argéntea europea
- fr: Goéland argenté
- it: Gabbiano reale nordico
- nl: Zilvermeeuw
- pt: Gaivota-prateada
- pl: Mewa srebrzysta

## Countries with the most observations

GB (22821), RU (13065), FR (5958), IE (5236), DE (4816), NL (4279), NO (2736), DK (2327), PL (2046), BE (1318), FI (988), SE (915)

## Summary

The European herring gull or simply herring gull (Larus argentatus) is a large gull, up to 66 cm (26 in) long. It breeds throughout the northern and western coasts of Europe. Some European herring gulls, especially those resident in colder areas, migrate farther south in winter, but many are permanent residents, such as in Ireland, Britain, Iceland, or on the North Sea shores. They have a varied diet, including fish, crustaceans, as well as some plants, and are also scavengers, consuming carrion and food left by or stolen from humans.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_herring_gull

## Photo

![European Herring Gull](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/european-herring-gull/medium.jpg)

Photo: butterfiyguy · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/360140357

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/european-herring-gull?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).