Larus Totally Explained

Everything about Larus totally explained

Larus is a large genus of seabirds to which most gulls belong. It has a world-wide distribution, and many of its species are abundant and well-known birds in their ranges. Evidence suggests the genus is polyphyletic, and recent authorities often place several of the species included in the below list in other genera such as Leucophaeus, Hydrocoloeus and Chroicocephalus.
They are in general medium to large birds, typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet.
The taxonomy of the large gulls in the Herring and Lesser Black-backed complex is very complicated, different authorities recognising between two and eight species. See also Hybridisation in gulls.

Systematics and evolution

List of species

Dolphin Gull, Larus scoresbii
Pacific Gull, Larus pacificus
Belcher's Gull, Larus belcheri
Olrog's Gull, Larus atlanticus
Black-tailed Gull, Larus crassirostris
Grey Gull, Larus modestus
Heermann's Gull, Larus heermanni
White-eyed Gull, Larus leucophthalmus
Sooty Gull, Larus hemprichii
Common Gull or Mew Gull, Larus canus
Audouin's Gull, Larus audouinii
Ring-billed Gull, Larus delawarensis
California Gull, Larus californicus
Great Black-backed Gull, Larus marinus
Kelp Gull, Larus dominicanus
Glaucous-winged Gull, Larus glaucescens
Western Gull, Larus occidentalis
Yellow-footed Gull, Larus livens
Glaucous Gull, Larus hyperboreus
Iceland Gull, Larus glaucoides
Thayer's Gull, Larus thayeri
Herring Gull, Larus argentatus
Heuglin's Gull, Larus heuglini
American Herring Gull, Larus smithsonianus
Yellow-legged Gull, Larus michahellis
Caspian Gull, Larus cachinnans
East Siberian Herring Gull, Larus vegae
- Birula's Gull, Larus vegae birulai
Armenian Gull, Larus armenicus
Slaty-backed Gull, Larus schistisagus
Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus
Great Black-headed Gull, Larus ichthyaetus
Brown-headed Gull, Larus brunnicephalus
Grey-headed Gull, Larus cirrocephalus
Hartlaub's Gull, Larus hartlaubii
Silver Gull, Larus novaehollandiae
Red-billed Gull, Larus scopulinus
Black-billed Gull, Larus bulleri
Brown-hooded Gull, Larus maculipennis
Black-headed Gull, Larus ridibundus
Slender-billed Gull, Larus genei
Bonaparte's Gull, Larus philadelphia
Saunders' Gull, Larus saundersi
Andean Gull, Larus serranus
Mediterranean Gull, Larus melanocephalus
Relict Gull, Larus relictus
Lava Gull, Larus fuliginosus
Laughing Gull, Larus atricilla
Franklin's Gull, Larus pipixcan
Little Gull, Larus minutus

Fossils of Larus gulls are known since the Middle Miocene, c.20-15 mya; allocation of earlier fossils to this genus is generally rejected nowadays (see below). Biogeography of the fossil record suggests that the genus evolved in the northern Atlantic and spread globally during the Pliocene, when species diversity seems to have been highest as with most seabirds.

Larus sp. (Grund Middle Miocene of Austria)

Larus sp. (Middle Miocene of Romania) (Olson, 1985)

Larus sp. (Late? Miocene/Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, USA) - several species (Olson, 1985)

Larus elmorei (Bone Valley Early/Middle Pliocene of SE USA)

Larus lacus (Pinecrest Late Pliocene of SE USA)

Larus perpetuus (Pinecrest Late Pliocene of SE USA)

Larus sp. (San Diego Late Pliocene of SW USA)

Larus oregonus (Late Pliocene - Late Pleistocene of WC USA)

Larus robustus (Late Pliocene - Late Pleistocene of WC USA)

Larus sp. (Lake Manix Late Pleistocene of W USA) "Larus" raemdonckii (Early Oligocene of Belgium) is now at least tentatively believed to belong in the procellariiform genus Puffinus. "L." elegans (Late Oligocene?/Early Miocene of St-Gérand-le-Puy, France) and "L." totanoides (Late Oligocene?/Early Miocene of SE France) are now in Laricola, while "L." dolnicensis (Early Miocene of Czechia) was actually a pratincole; it's now placed in Mioglareola.
The Early Miocene "Larus" desnoyersii (SE France) and "L." pristinus (John Day Formation, Willow Creek, USA) probably don't belong into this genus; the former may be a skua (Olson, 1985).

Ring species

A classic example of ring species is the Larus gulls circumpolar species "ring". The range of these gulls forms a ring around the North Pole. The Herring Gull, which lives primarily in Great Britain, can hybridize with the American Herring Gull (living in North America), which can also interbreed with the Vega or East Siberian Herring Gull, the western subspecies of which, Birula's Gull, can hybridize with Heuglin's gull, which in turn can interbreed with the Siberian Lesser Black-backed Gull (all four of these live across the north of Siberia). The last is the eastern representative of the Lesser Black-backed Gulls back in northwestern Europe, including Great Britain. However, the Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gull are sufficiently different that they can't interbreed; thus the group of gulls forms a continuum except in Europe where the two lineages meet. A recent genetic study has shown that this example is far more complicated than presented here (Liebers et al, 2004).

Further Information

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