Hybridisation in

gulls Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, m ...

occurs quite frequently, although to varying degrees depending on the species involved.

Hybrid large white-headed gulls

Herring gull Herring gull is a common name for several birds in the genus ''Larus'', all formerly treated as a single species. Three species are still combined in some taxonomies: * American herring gull (''Larus smithsonianus'') - North America * European he ...

s and

lesser black-backed gull The lesser black-backed gull (''Larus fuscus'') is a large gull that breeds on the Atlantic coasts of Europe. It is migratory, wintering from the British Isles south to West Africa. It has increased dramatically in North America, most common alo ...

s interbreed to a limited degree where their ranges overlap, producing birds of intermediate appearance, which could be confused with

yellow-legged gull The yellow-legged gull (''Larus michahellis'') is a large gull found in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, which has only recently achieved wide recognition as a distinct species. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of either the Casp ...

. In North America, this combination is often known as "Appledore gull". *

Western gull The western gull (''Larus occidentalis'') is a large white-headed gull that lives on the west coast of North America. It was previously considered conspecific with the yellow-footed gull (''Larus livens'') of the Gulf of California. The western g ...

s and

glaucous-winged gull The glaucous-winged gull (''Larus glaucescens'') is a large, white-headed gull. The genus name is from Latin ''Larus'' which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific ''glaucescens'' is New Latin for " glaucous" fro ...

s hybridise extensively in western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

between Washington and Oregon. This particular hybrid is sometimes known as the "Olympic gull", or "Puget Sound gull". The persistence and backcrossing of hybrids is believed to be due to hybrid superiority, where hybrids exhibit higher evolutionary fitness than parent species in the hybrid zone. *

Great black-backed gull The great black-backed gull (''Larus marinus'') is the largest member of the gull family. Described by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as "the king of the Atlantic waterfront", it is a very aggressive hunter, pirate, and scavenger. It breeds on t ...

s and

herring gull Herring gull is a common name for several birds in the genus ''Larus'', all formerly treated as a single species. Three species are still combined in some taxonomies: * American herring gull (''Larus smithsonianus'') - North America * European he ...

s have hybridized in eastern North America, particularly the Great Lakes. This hybrid is sometimes known as "Great Lakes gull". *

s and

glaucous gull The glaucous gull (''Larus hyperboreus'') is a large gull, the second-largest gull in the world. It breeds in Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and winters south to shores of the Holarctic. The genus name is from Latin ''larus'', which a ...

s hybridise in Greenland, Iceland and Alaska. The offspring have been termed "Nelson's gull", but are sometimes also known as "Viking gull". *

s and

s hybridize extensively in southern Alaska. The offspring are sometimes termed "Cook Inlet gull". *

Glaucous-winged gull The glaucous-winged gull (''Larus glaucescens'') is a large, white-headed gull. The genus name is from Latin ''Larus'' which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific ''glaucescens'' is New Latin for " glaucous" fro ...

s and

s hybridize in western Alaska. These hybrids are sometimes called "Seward gull". * Herring gulls and

kelp gull The kelp gull (''Larus dominicanus''), also known as the Dominican gull, is a gull that breeds on coasts and islands through much of the Southern Hemisphere. The nominate ''L. d. dominicanus'' is the subspecies found around South America, par ...

s have hybridized in Louisiana. This combination has been termed "Chandeleur gull". This hybrid is interesting as Louisiana is outside of the normal breeding range of both parent species. *It is believed by some that the Kumlien's race of the

Iceland gull The Iceland gull (''Larus glaucoides'') is a medium-sized gull that breeds in the Arctic regions of Canada and Greenland, but not in Iceland (as its name suggests), where it is only seen during winter. The genus name is from Latin ''larus'', whic ...

may be a hybrid population between

s and

Thayer's gull Thayer's gull (''Larus glaucoides thayeri'') is a subspecies of the Iceland gull. It is a large gull native to North America that breeds in the Arctic islands of Canada and winters primarily on the Pacific coast, from southern Alaska to the Gulf ...

s. No pure Thayer's gulls are known to occur within the range of Kumlien's although many Kumlien's within their range are almost indistinguishable from Thayer's gulls, while others look like pure Iceland gulls with a range of variation in between.

Hybrids among the smaller gulls

* The most common hybrid found among gulls in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

is between

black-headed gull The black-headed gull (''Chroicocephalus ridibundus'') is a small gull that breeds in much of the Palearctic including Europe and also in coastal eastern Canada. Most of the population is migratory and winters further south, but some birds res ...

and

Mediterranean gull The Mediterranean gull (''Ichthyaetus melanocephalus'') is a small gull. The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. The genus ''Ichthyaetus'' is from ''ikhthus'', "fish", and ''aetos'', "eagle", and the specific ''melanocephalus'' is from ''mel ...

. Hybrids of this combination are occasionally reported on the northwestern edge of the breeding range of Mediterranean gull. * Birds have also been reported in Europe which have been suspected of being Mediterranean gull ×

common gull The common gull or sea mew (''Larus canus'') is a medium-sized gull that breeds in the Palearctic, northern Europe. The closely related short-billed gull is sometimes included in this species, which may be known collectively as "mew gull". Many ...

hybrids; one such gull was seen in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

in 2002.Tarrant, Mike (2002) An apparent hybrid gull in Lincolnshire ''

Birding World ''Birding World'' was a monthly birding magazine published in the United Kingdom. It was the magazine of the Bird Information Service, based at Cley next the Sea, Norfolk. With the publication of issue No. 26/12 in January 2014, ''Birding World'' ...

'' Vol. 15 No. 6 p247 * A bird seen in December 2001 at

Belhaven Bay Belhaven may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Lord Belhaven and Stenton *Belhaven, Scotland **Belhaven Hill School, commonly referred to as "Belhaven" United States *Belhaven, North Carolina *Alexandria, Virginia, formerly named Belhaven. *Belhav ...

Lothian Lothian (; sco, Lowden, Loudan, -en, -o(u)n; gd, Lodainn ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Sco ...

, and present each winter since (until at least 2005/6) is believed to be a hybrid between black-headed and common gulls.Gillon, Keith (2006) An apparent hybrid gull at Belhaven Bay, Lothian '' Birding Scotland'' Vol. 9 No. 2 p92 * More rarely, hybrids have been reported between

laughing gull The laughing gull (''Leucophaeus atricilla'') is a medium-sized gull of North and South America. Named for its laugh-like call, it is an opportunistic omnivore and scavenger. It breeds in large colonies mostly along the Atlantic coast of North Am ...

and

, laughing gull and

ring-billed gull The ring-billed gull (''Larus delawarensis'') is a medium-sized gull. The genus name is from Latin ''Larus'' which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific ''delawarensis'' refers to the Delaware River. Description ...

and possibly black-headed and ring-billed gull. All have been reported from eastern North America. *

Common Gull The common gull or sea mew (''Larus canus'') is a medium-sized gull that breeds in the Palearctic, northern Europe. The closely related short-billed gull is sometimes included in this species, which may be known collectively as "mew gull". Many ...

is known to have hybridised with

Ring-billed Gull The ring-billed gull (''Larus delawarensis'') is a medium-sized gull. The genus name is from Latin ''Larus'' which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific ''delawarensis'' refers to the Delaware River. Description ...

in Northern Ireland.Charles, D. (2008) Ring-billed Gull breeding with Common Gull on Copeland Islands Co. Down. The first confirmed breeding record for Ring-billed Gull in the Western Palearctic. Northern Ireland Bird Report xviii p. 122.

References

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External links

An article about hybrid gulls breeding in BelgiumBird Hybrids Database
Gulls Hybridisation in birds

Hybrid large white-headed gulls

Hybrids among the smaller gulls

See also

References

External links