Probable European Herring Gull in New York! ~ February 28, 2025

The Herring Gull was recently split into American Herring Gull and European Herring Gull. A bird that showed all of the characteristics of a European Herring Gull had been returning to a spot on the northern shore of Long Island, New York for a few winters. With the recent split, a lot more attention was given to this bird when it returned in 2025. I decided to drive there to look for it. I asked a few local birders if they would be interested in joining me. Mike Schall was the only one able to go, so both of us left at around 4:30 AM and started the 140-mile drive to Old Field Point.

After navigating through New York City, we arrived at the point at around 7:30. The gate to the park with the lighthouse didn't open until 8:00, so we birded from just outside the gate for that half-hour. Scanning offshore revealed roughly 40 White-winged Scoters, 20 Black Scoters, and 7 Common Eiders among at least 200 Long-tailed Ducks and around 20 Common Goldeneye.

White-winged Scoters

Black Scoters

Common Eider

When the gate opened, we parked by the lighthouse and checked the rocks and jetties there. On a nearby rock was a gull with a mantle color between an American Herring Gull and a Lesser Black-backed Gull that had yellow legs. It was the probable European Herring Gull! I took as many photos of as many different angles and poses of it as I could since documentation of all of the different identification points would determine its acceptance as one.

The probable European Herring Gull showing its mantle color between an American Herring Gull and a Lesser Black-backed Gull and its yellow legs. Also note the fairly clean white head with a dark area encircling the pale eye with a red orbital ring, and the red on the bill restricted to the lower mandible (no red on the upper mandible).

The probable European Herring Gull showing the top of its wings spread in flight and a blow-up of the left wing primaries. Note only a tiny area of black on the otherwise completely white tip of 'P10', the long gray 'tongues' on 'P8' and 'P7', and only a tiny mark of black on 'P5'.

The probable European Herring Gull showing the top of its wings spread in flight and a blow-up of the right wing primaries. Again, note the completely white tip of 'P10', the long gray 'tongues' on 'P8' and 'P7', and the absence of black on 'P5'.

The probable European Herring Gull showing the underside of its primaries. Note the long pale gray 'tongue' on 'P10'.

Here are some photos from a gull guide showing the identification points of the race of European Herring Gull commonly found in Scandinavia. Compare these points with the ones shown in my photos above. All of them match almost exactly to this New York bird.

Back out at the gate, we looked down over the bluffs and saw an Iceland Gull and a Black-headed Gull among around a hundred Brant and over a hundred Ring-billed and American Herring Gulls.

Iceland Gull

Black-headed Gull

On the east side of the lighthouse was a Great Cormorant and several Red-breasted Mergansers.

Great Cormorant

Red-breasted Mergansers

We decided to head back home at around noon so that we'd get back through New York City before the afternoon rush hour traffic started up. That went according to plan. Now we just have to wait and see what the New York records committee decides.

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