FAMILY LARIDAE
Gull Species are members of a large, widespread family of seabirds. Often known as seagulls, though no species is called a seagull.
Genus Larus
- Dolphin Gull, Larus scoresbii : The Dolphin Gull, also known as the Red-billed Gull, is a gull native to southern Chile and Argentina, Tierra del Fuego, and the Falkland Islands.
- They have greyish feathers, and the feathers on their wings are a darker shade. They lay 2 to 3 eggs in December. Dolphin Gulls eat many things from mussels to carrion. The scientific name commemorates the English explorer William Scoresby.
- 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
Lesser Black-backed Gulls - 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
- Kumlien’s Gull, Larus [glaucoides] kumlieni
- 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
- 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
Genus Rissa
- Kittiwake or Black-legged Kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla
- Red-legged Kittiwake, Rissa brevirostris
Genus Pagophila
- Ivory Gull, Pagophila eburnea
Genus Rhodostethia
- Ross’s Gull, Rhodostethia rosea
Genus Xema
- Sabine’s Gull, Xema sabini
Genus Creagrus
- Swallow-tailed Gull, Creagrus furcatus
The Laridae are known from fossil evidence since the Early Oligocene, some 30-33 mya. A fossil seagull from the Late Miocene of Cherry County, USA is placed in the prehistoric genus Gaviota; apart from this and the undescribed Early Oligocene fossil, all prehistoric species are at least tentatively assigned to the modern genus Larus, q.v.
