Herring Gull
Featured in: Year 2: Living things and their habitats
Herring Gull
Bird
A large, noisy, coastal bird often seen scavenging near beaches and coastal towns.
💡 Fun Facts
- Seagulls can drink seawater! They have special glands above their eyes that flush out the salt.
- They are highly intelligent and will stamp their feet on the ground to imitate rain, tricking earthworms into coming to the surface.
- They are devoted parents; both the mother and father take turns incubating the eggs.
Name Story
Larus argentatus
means “the silvery gull”
What does its name mean?
- Larus — gullGreek laros ‘gull’
- argentatus — silveredLatin argentum ‘silver’
Its back and wings are a smooth, pale silver-grey, as though dipped in silver — the colour its name quietly remembers.