Order: Charadriiformes | Family: Laridae | IUCN Status: Least Concern
Age: Adult, basic | Sex: Unknown | Loc. North America
Age: Adult, basic | Sex: Unknown | Loc. North America
Age: Immature | Sex: Unknown | Loc. North America
Age: Adult | Sex: Unknown | Loc. North America
Identification & Behavior: ~58.5 cm (23 in). The Herring Gull in basic plumage has white head, neck, and breast with brown specks and streaks. The back is light gray. The legs are flesh-colored. The bill is yellow with a red tip on the lower mandible. The head in the alternate plumage is pure white. The adult has a pale iris. Juvenile birds are mottled brown with pinkish legs and bill (with a dusky bill tip). It is similar to the Kelp Gull and Belcher’s Gull but is distinguished by pale gray back, pale iris, and leg color.
Status: The Herring Gull is a rare vagrant to the coast of Peru. The single record comes from a bird observed and photographed in Ventanilla, Lima. It also occurs in Co and Ec.
Name in Spanish: Gaviota Argéntea.
Sub-species: Herring Gull (Larus argentatus smithsonianus), Coues 1862.
Meaning of Name: Larus: Gr. A gull. argentatus: L. Argenta, Argentatus= ornamented with silver.
See more of the Family Laridae 
Distribution Map
Voice
VoiceReferences:
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- Species range based on: Schulenberg, T. S., D. F. Stotz, and L. Rico. 2006. Distribution maps of the birds of Peru, version 1.0. Environment, Culture & Conservation (ECCo). The Field Museum. http://fm2.fieldmuseum.org/uw_test/birdsofperu on 01/01/2015.