Bird Guide

Heermann's Gull vs Iceland Gull

Heermann's Gull (Larus heermanni)

Heermann's Gull

Larus heermanni

Large500 gCoastal

This species looks distinctly different from other gulls. Adults have a medium gray body, blackish-gray wings and tail with white edges, and a red bill with a black tip. The head is dusky gray in non-breeding plumage and white in breeding plumage. Immatures resemble non-breeding adults but are darker and browner, and the bill is pink till the second winter. A few birds, no more than 1 in 200, have white primary coverts, which form a showy spot on the upper wing.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Toffel · Public domain
Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides)

Iceland Gull

Larus glaucoides

Large693 gCoastal

The Iceland gull is a medium-sized gull, although relatively slender and light in weight. In length, it can measure from 50 to 64 cm (20 to 25 in), wingspan is from 115 to 150 cm (45 to 59 in), and weight is from 480 to 1,100 g (1.06 to 2.43 lb). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 37.9 to 44.3 cm (14.9 to 17.4 in), the bill is 3.6 to 5.4 cm (1.4 to 2.1 in), and the tarsus is 4.9 to 6.7 cm (1.9 to 2.6 in). It is smaller and thinner-billed than the very large glaucous gull, and is usually smaller than the herring gull. It takes four years to reach maturity. Voice: The call is a "laughing" cry like the herring gull, but higher pitched.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: David McCorquodale · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Heermann's Gull and Iceland Gull.