This past week, I had my first ever Arkansas American Herring Gull sighting. I was outdoors when several of these gulls were high overhead, too high for photos.
American Herring Gull in nonbreeding plumage flying by – Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah – January 2020
Not only were the 6–7 gulls too high, but they were also in extremely bright light, making them hard to see. I was able to see enough key features to identify them as American Herring Gulls.
Like the gull in the photo above, taken in Utah in 2020, the small flock of American Herring Gulls I saw here were in nonbreeding plumage.
Now, about the name changes for this gull species.
In 2024, ornithologists reclassified the Herring Gull, a bird widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, into four distinct species: American Herring Gull, European Herring Gull, Mongolian Gull, and Vega Gull.
American Herring Gulls breed in Canada and the U.S., migrating south to Central America during the nonbreeding season.
The scientific name for this North American species also changed from Larus argentatus to Larus smithsonianus.
I’ll need to change the common and scientific names on my posts and in my galleries for this species, and I will when I have time.
I’m aware that some people wouldn’t be as excited as I was to see gulls flying overhead on an autumn afternoon in Arkansas, but I was. I’m not some people. I simply can’t help myself; I really like gulls.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my American Herring Gull photos plus facts and information about this species.
I appreciate the information you supply in your posts
So many firsts. How wonderful that your eyes, heart and mind are open to them.
Why do they keep changing the birds names? It is like going into a store and all the items have been moved to a different location! How can a person keep up with everything. One thing is I never have seen many Gulls where I live.
Trudy, the American Herring Gull’s name was changed because the European Herring Gull and our American Gull are different and live in different locations.
Soon there will be many more name changes as the AOS moves forward with removing eponymous and honorary human names. My hope is that the AOS will give those birds descriptive common names, for instance, Wilson’s Plover may become Thick-billed Plover, a common name that was once used for that species.
It will be hard to keep up with on my site, but I hope to do just that.
I’m not seeing many gulls here in Arkansas either, not like I saw in Utah, for sure.