American Herring Gull
Larus smithsonianus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusLarus (Large White-headed Gulls)
- SpeciesLarus smithsonianus (American Herring Gull)
The American herring gull (Larus smithsonianus or Larus argentatus smithsonianus), also known as the Arctic herring gull or Smithsonian gull, is a large gull that breeds in North America, where it is treated by the American Ornithological Society as distinct from the European herring gull (Larus argentatus). Adults are white with gray back and wings, black wingtips with white spots, and pink legs. Immature birds are gray-brown and are darker and more uniform than European herring gulls, with a darker tail. As is common with other gulls, they are colloquially referred to simply as seagulls. It occurs in a variety of habitats including coasts, lakes, rivers, parking lots and garbage dumps. Its broad diet includes invertebrates, fish, and many other items. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a American Herring Gull sighting in La Amistad International Park (Panama), based on 14 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at La Amistad International Park (Panama)
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus
Royal Tern
Thalasseus maximus
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricilla
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis
Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
Black Noddy
Anous minutus
Cabot's Tern
Thalasseus acuflavidus
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Brown Noddy
Anous stolidus
Black Skimmer
Rynchops niger
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Franklin's Gull
Leucophaeus pipixcan
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a American Herring Gull in La Amistad International Park (Panama)?
About 0% of wildlife watchers report a American Herring Gull sighting in La Amistad International Park (Panama), based on 14 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see American Herring Gull in La Amistad International Park (Panama)?
October has the highest sighting rate for American Herring Gull in La Amistad International Park (Panama) in our monthly data.