Head to head
Glaucous Gull vs Herring Gull
The glaucous gull and herring gull are both large, adaptable gulls, but one is built for the high Arctic while the other is the familiar large gull of more temperate coastlines.
| Glaucous Gull | Herring Gull | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Larus hyperboreus | Larus argentatus |
| Wingtip colour | Pale, lacking dark markings | Black |
| Native range | Circumpolar Arctic | Northern Hemisphere coastlines |
| Predatory behaviour | Active predator at seabird colonies | Opportunistic scavenger |
| Bill | Pale with a dark spot | Yellow with a red spot |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Population trend | Stable | Decreasing |
| Habitat | Polar, coastal | Coastal, grassland |
Glaucous Gull vs Herring Gull: common questions
How can you tell a glaucous gull from a herring gull?
The clearest difference is the wingtips: the glaucous gull lacks the dark wingtip markings found on the herring gull, giving it an unusually pale, almost entirely white-and-grey appearance in flight.
Is the glaucous gull more predatory than the herring gull?
Yes, the glaucous gull is a genuine predator at seabird colonies, taking eggs, chicks, and sometimes adult birds, a level of active predation beyond the more opportunistic scavenging typical of the herring gull.
Do the glaucous gull and herring gull share the same range?
They overlap at the edges, but the glaucous gull is confined to the circumpolar Arctic, while the herring gull is found across a much broader range of Northern Hemisphere coastlines further south.