Herring Gulls

Herring gulls are large, noisy birds found throughout the year around our coasts and inland around rubbish tips, fields, large reservoirs and lakes, cities and towns. Many people who have gulls on their property find they cause a nuisance through noise, mess and damage to property. Birds can dive and swoop on people and pets causing great consternation and fear. Their nests have been known to block gas flues, valley gutters and drains causing considerable water damage to the fabric of buildings. Their droppings are smelly and corrosive. Control is achieved by fitting spikes and nets and lifting nests and eggs.

Herring Gulls: Description & Life Cycle

Herring gulls are large, noisy gulls found throughout the year around our coasts and inland around rubbish tips, fields, large reservoirs and lakes, especially during winter.

Description:

Adults have light grey backs, white under parts, and black wing tips.
Their legs are pink, with webbed feet and they have heavy, slightly hooked bills marked with a red spot.
Young birds are mottled brown.

Life cycle:

Nest in colonies on rock cliffs, dunes and buildings in coastal towns and cities.
A large nest of seaweeds and grass is built, sometimes as early as February.
A single clutch of 2-4 eggs is laid but if these are lost more are laid.
The eggs are incubated by both parents for 25-27 days.
The chicks, which are covered in grey down with dark blotches, are fed by both parents on regurgitated food.
To obtain a meal they peck at the red spot on the parent's bill.
At 42 days of age young herring gulls can fly and for the first year of their life their feathers are speckled brown.
They do not develop the full adult plumage for several years.