Gulls of Europe, Asia and North America

Gulls of Europe, Asia and North America
Author	Klaus Malling Olsen and Hans Larsson
Country	U.K.
Language	English
Series	Helm Identification Guides
Publisher	A & C Black
Publication date	2004
Media type	Print (Hardback)
Pages	608
ISBN	0-7136-7087-8
OCLC	57006518

Last updated June 06, 2024

Gulls of Europe, Asia and North America by Klaus Malling Olsen and Hans Larsson is a volume in the Helm Identification Guides series of bird identification books.

The book is intended to succeed Peter J. Grant's Gulls: A Guide to Identification as the standard identification work on Northern Hemisphere gulls. Although the Helm series already contained a volume on seabirds, by Peter Harrison, gulls compete for space in that volume with several other seabird families; in addition, Harrison's book was published in 1983, a time when knowledge of gull identification (and taxonomy) was in a considerably more primitive state (and Harrison himself was a specialist in pelagic birds rather than gulls specifically). Malling Olsen & Larsson's book equals or exceeds Grant's work in terms of its level of detail, and consolidates and synthesises the considerable amount of new information that has been discovered since then.

The first edition of Olsen and Larsson's book was released in 2003. While the book was initially generally well-received, a large number of errors soon came to light. As a result, this edition was withdrawn, and a reprint with corrections was released in 2004. Because the publishers required only the title page of the book to be returned in order for purchasers to receive the reprint free of charge, many copies of the first printing are still in circulation. (Those with a title page are identifiable by the absence of the words "Reprinted with corrections 2004" below the publisher's address on reverse of the title page.) The ISBN of the corrected reprint is ISBN 0-7136-7087-8.

The corrected reprint has 608 pages. In total, 43 species are given full treatment by this work — identification text, colour plates by Larsson, and several colour photographs (the plates and photographs are placed with the species texts, not grouped together in a separate section). In addition, three Southern Hemisphere species which have occurred as vagrants in the Northern Hemisphere (band-tailed gull, grey gull and swallow-tailed gull) are covered more briefly in an appendix, with a single photograph each, and brief mention is also made here of silver gull which has occurred as an escape from captivity. Preceding the species accounts, an introduction covers the book's species-level taxonomy, and gives general advice on gull identification, including ageing and moult, hybrid and aberrant birds, and the effects of lighting conditions, and plumage wear and fading.

The book is particularly notable in that it is the first work to bring together information discovered during the late 1980s, 1990s and early 21st century on the identification of birds of the large white-headed gull complex. The book adopts a conservative approach at higher taxonomic levels, lumping all gulls (except for ivory gull, Ross's gull and the two kittiwakes) in the genus Larus. A revised taxonomy is adopted at the species level, however; a number of distinctive forms (mainly in the large white-headed gull complex) are regarded as separate species.

Species-level taxonomic decisions adopted in the book are as follows:

American herring gull (Larus smithsonianus) is treated as a separate species from European herring gull (L. argentatus)
Yellow-legged gull (L. michahellis) (including the form atlantis) and Armenian gull (L. armenicus) are treated as separate species from the European herring gull
Caspian gull (L. cachinnans) is treated as a separate species from European herring and yellow-legged gulls, and is defined as including the forms barabensis and mongolicus
Heuglin's gull (L. heuglini) (including the form taimyrensis) and Vega gull (L. vegae) (including the form birulai) are each given full species status
Common gull (L. canus) (including the forms heinei and kamschatensis) and mew gull (L. brachyrhynchus) are treated as separate species.

Olsen and Larsson had previously collaborated on two other volumes in the Helm series, on terns and skuas.

Errors in the second edition

The following is a list of errors in the corrected reprint:

On page 21, the illustration of a gull's head, with a pointer highlighting an ear-spot, shows a bird with a full hood; ear-spots are a feature which appears on hooded gulls only when the hood (a feature of breeding plumage) is lost, in winter.^[1]
On page 27, the caption to figure 14 (an illustration of the spread wingtip of a Caspian gull) describes a "broad white tip" on p9 whereas the figure shows a broad white mirror.^[1]
On page 496, a report of 14 relict gulls in Ukraine is dated May 2001, whereas these birds were actually seen in May 2000 in the Russia/Kazakhstan border area.^[2]
On page 276, the picture number 365 is missing (it should show an "Adult summer ssp. argenteus", according to the legend).

Related Research Articles

Laridae is a family of seabirds in the order Charadriiformes that includes the gulls, terns, noddies, skimmers, and kittiwakes. It includes around 100 species arranged into 22 genera. They are an adaptable group of mostly aerial birds found worldwide.

Larus is a large genus of gulls with worldwide distribution.

The common gull or sea mew is a medium-sized gull that breeds in the Palearctic. The closely related short-billed gull is sometimes included in this species, which may be known collectively as "mew gull". Many common gulls migrate further south in winter. There are differing accounts as to how the species acquired its vernacular name.

The European herring gull is a large gull, up to 66 cm (26 in) long. It breeds throughout the northern and western coasts of Europe. Some European herring gulls, especially those resident in colder areas, migrate further south in winter, but many are permanent residents, such as in Ireland, Britain, Iceland, or on the North Sea shores. They have a varied diet, including fish, crustaceans, as well as some plants, and are also scavengers, consuming carrion and food left by or stolen from humans.

The great black-backed gull is the largest member of the gull family. Described by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as "the king of the Atlantic waterfront", it is a very aggressive hunter, pirate, and scavenger. It breeds on the European and North American coasts and islands of the North Atlantic and is fairly sedentary, though some move farther south or inland to large lakes and reservoirs. The adult great black-backed gull has a white head, neck and underparts, dark grey wings and back, pink legs and yellow bill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser black-backed gull</span> Species of bird

The lesser black-backed gull is a large gull that breeds on the Atlantic coasts of Europe. It is migratory, wintering from the British Isles south to West Africa. However, it has increased dramatically in North America, especially along the east coast. Formerly just a winter visitor to North America, it has increased and occurs in large numbers some winters and birds are now recorded year-round. However, there is serious concern about decline in many parts of its range. The species is on the UK Amber List because the UK is home to 40 per cent of the European population and more than half of these are found at fewer than ten breeding sites.

The glaucous gull is a large gull, the second-largest gull in the world. The genus name is from Latin larus, which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific name hyperboreus is Latin for "northern" from the Ancient Greek Huperboreoi people from the far north "Glaucous" is from Latin glaucus and denotes the grey colour of the gull. An older English name for this species is burgomaster.

The Iceland gull is a medium-sized gull that breeds in the Arctic regions of Canada and Greenland, but not in Iceland, where it is only seen during winter. The genus name is from Latin larus, which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific name glaucoides denotes its resemblance to Larus glaucus, a synonym of Larus hyperboreus, the glaucous gull; -oides is Ancient Greek and means "resembling".

Pallas's gull, also known as the great black-headed gull, is a large bird species. As is the case with many gulls, it has traditionally been placed in the genus Larus. The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. Ichthyaetus is from ikhthus, "fish", and aetos, "eagle".

The yellow-legged gull is a large gull found in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, which has only recently achieved wide recognition as a distinct species. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of either the Caspian gull L. cachinnans, or more broadly as a subspecies of the herring gull L. argentatus. The genus name is from Latin Larus which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird, and the species name honours the German zoologist Karl Michahelles.

The Caspian gull is a large gull and a member of the herring and lesser black-backed gull complex. The scientific name is from Latin. Larus appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird, and cachinnans means 'laughing', from cachinnare 'to laugh'.

The kelp gull, also known as the Dominican gull, is a gull that breeds on coasts and islands through much of the Southern Hemisphere. The nominate L. d. dominicanus is the subspecies found around South America, parts of Australia, and New Zealand. L. d. vetula is a subspecies occurring around Southern Africa.

The Helm Identification Guides are a series of books that identify groups of birds. The series include two types of guides, those that are:

The yellow-footed gull is a large gull, closely related to the western gull and thought to be a subspecies until the 1960s. It is endemic to the Gulf of California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slaty-backed gull</span> Species of bird

The slaty-backed gull is a large, white-headed gull that breeds on the north-eastern coast of the Palearctic, but travels widely during nonbreeding seasons. It is similar in appearance to the western gull and the glaucous-winged gull. Another alternate name is Pacific gull, though it also applies to a Southern Hemisphere species, L. pacificus.

The glaucous-winged gull is a large, white-headed gull. The genus name is from Latin Larus which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific glaucescens is Neo-Latin for "glaucous" from the Ancient Greek, glaukos, denoting the grey color of its wings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thayer's gull</span> Subspecies of bird

Thayer's gull is a subspecies of the Iceland gull. It is a large gull native to North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heuglin's gull</span> Subspecies of bird

Heuglin's gull or the Siberian gull, is a seabird in the genus Larus.

The American herring gull or Smithsonian gull is a large gull that breeds in North America, where it is treated by the American Ornithological Society as a subspecies of herring gull.

The short-billed gull is a medium-sized species of gull that breeds in northwestern North America. In North America, it was previously known as the mew gull, when it was considered conspecific with the palearctic common gull. Most authorities, including the American Ornithological Society in 2021, have split the two populations as distinct species.

References

1 2 Adriaens, Peter (2005) Recensies: Klaus Malling Olsen & Hans Larsson, 2004. Gulls of Europe, Asia and North America. Dutch Birding 27 (4): 263-268
↑ Piskunov, Vladimir V and A N Antonchikov (2007) Flock of 14 Relict Gulls in southern Russia and north-western Kazakhstan in May 2000. Dutch Birding29 (2): 94-95

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[Adriaens-1] 1 2 Adriaens, Peter (2005) Recensies: Klaus Malling Olsen & Hans Larsson, 2004. Gulls of Europe, Asia and North America. Dutch Birding 27 (4): 263-268

[2] Piskunov, Vladimir V and A N Antonchikov (2007) Flock of 14 Relict Gulls in southern Russia and north-western Kazakhstan in May 2000. Dutch Birding29 (2): 94-95

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