Herring Gull
Herring Gull has fallen sharply: down 70% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Herring Gull
The Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) is a North American member of the Gulls, Terns & Skimmers (Laridae). In this analysis it is grouped with the wetland birds.
- Size
- 8.5–31.5 in long (22–80 cm) — a long-winged waterbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, frogs and plant matter.
- Range
- Recorded on 412 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 33 states, most concentrated in the New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast.
- Family
- Laridae · Wetland birds
Notable Herring Gull Trends
Herring Gull has fallen sharply in surveyed states: down 70% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
Herring Gull Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Herring Gull is projected to fall about 100% by 2029 — from 0.77 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.00 (95% range 0.00–0.73). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±148.7%, with 60% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.73 |
| 2026 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.73 |
| 2027 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.73 |
| 2028 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.73 |
| 2029 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.73 |
Where the Herring Gull Is Detected
BBS routes recording Herring Gull, sized by most recent count.
Herring Gull Population Trend by State
| Alabama | -76% | 1972 | 5 |
| Alaska | -96% | 1972 | 59 |
| California | insufficient data | n/a | 5 |
| Colorado | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Connecticut | -18% | 1971 | 11 |
| Delaware | -77% | 1968 | 12 |
| Florida | -59% | 1968 | 9 |
| Idaho | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Illinois | +120% | 1986 | 4 |
| Indiana | +142% | 1993 | 5 |
| Kansas | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Louisiana | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Maine | -88% | 1968 | 41 |
| Maryland | +119% | 1968 | 21 |
| Massachusetts | -96% | 1968 | 18 |
| Michigan | -94% | 1968 | 40 |
| Minnesota | -54% | 1971 | 17 |
| Montana | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| New Hampshire | -100% | 1968 | 12 |
| New Jersey | 66× | 1969 | 22 |
| New York | -95% | 1968 | 45 |
| North Carolina | -77% | 1973 | 8 |
| Ohio | -28% | 1970 | 14 |
| Oregon | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Pennsylvania | insufficient data | n/a | 5 |
| Rhode Island | -100% | 1969 | 5 |
| South Carolina | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Texas | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Vermont | -14% | 1969 | 5 |
| Virginia | -46% | 1968 | 9 |
| Washington | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| West Virginia | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Wisconsin | -83% | 1968 | 23 |
Herring Gull Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | -68% | 1998 | 3 |
| BCR 4 | +53% | 1976 | 43 |
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -98% | 1972 | 22 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | -96% | 1968 | 54 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | +18% | 1969 | 27 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | -95% | 1968 | 66 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | -7% | 1986 | 11 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | 13× | 1968 | 30 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | -93% | 1968 | 19 |
| Appalachian Mountains | -68% | 1973 | 12 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | -16% | 1968 | 104 |
| Peninsular Florida | +167% | 2009 | 5 |
Herring Gull Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 70% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.