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Seagulls (lat. Larus ) Is the most numerous genus of birds of the gull family, living both in the sea and in inland waters. Many species are considered synanthropic - they live close to humans and benefit from this.

As a rule, these are large or medium-sized birds, with white or gray plumage, often with black markings on the head or wings. One of the distinguishing characteristics is a strong, slightly curved beak at the end, and well-developed swimming membranes on the legs.

The taxonomy of large species of gulls is often complex - different ornithologists distinguish from two to eight species from the groups of herring gulls or coughs. In addition, for gulls, interspecific crossing is characteristic, when the hybrid offspring has intermediate characteristics.

Seagulls

Seagulls (lat. Larus) is the most numerous genus of birds of the gull family, living both in the sea and in inland waters. Many species are considered synanthropic - they live close to humans and benefit from this.

As a rule, these are large or medium-sized birds, with white or gray plumage, often with black markings on the head or wings. One of the distinguishing characteristics is a strong, slightly curved beak at the end, and well-developed swimming membranes on the legs. In some species, there is a red spot at the end of the lower part of the beak, which acts as a signal stimulus that prompts parents to feed the chicks (hungry chicks touch this spot with their beak, thereby provoking the reflex of the parents to regurgitate food).

The taxonomy of large species of gulls is often complex - different ornithologists distinguish from two to eight species from the groups of herring gulls or coughs. In addition, interspecific crossing is characteristic of gulls, when the hybrid offspring has intermediate characteristics.

Classification

For February 2020, 23 species are included in the genus:

• Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763 - Herring Gull
• Larus armenicus Buturlin, 1934 - Armenian gull
• Larus atlanticus Olrog, 1958 - Olrog's Seagull
• Larus belcheri Vigors, 1829 - Simeon's Seagull
• Larus cachinnans Pallas, 1811 - Gull
• Larus californicus Lawrence, 1854 - California gull
• Larus canus Linnaeus, 1758 - Gull
• Larus crassirostris Vieillot, 1818 - Black-tailed gull
• Larus delawarensis Ord, 1815 - Delaware gull
• Larus dominicanus Lichtenstein, 1823 - Dominican gull
• Larus fuscus Linnaeus, 1758 - Klusha
• Larus glaucescens J. F. Naumann, 1840 - Gray-winged gull
• Larus glaucoides B. Meyer, 1822 - Arctic gull, or Icelandic gull
• Larus heermanni Cassin, 1852 - Heermann's Seagull
• Larus hyperboreus Gunnerus, 1767 - Burgomaster
• Larus livens Dwight, 1919 - Yellow-legged gull
• Larus marinus Linnaeus, 1758 - Sea gull
• Larus michahellis J. F. Naumann, 1840 - Mediterranean gull
• Larus occidentalis Audubon, 1839 - Western gull
• Larus pacificus Latham, 1801 - Large-billed gull
• Larus schistisagus Stejneger, 1884 - Pacific seagull
• Larus smithsonianus Coues, 1862 - American Herring Gull
• Larus vegae Palmén, 1887 - East Siberian gull

Some species, previously attributed to the genus of gulls, as a result of molecular genetic studies were transferred to the genera Chroicocephalus, Ichthyaetus, Leucophaeus, Rissa and etc.

Simeon's Seagull / Larus belcheri

Detachment:
Charadriiformes
Family:
Laridae
Genus:
Larus

Scientific:
Larus belcheri

citation:
Vigors, 1829

Reference:
Zool.J. p.358

Protonym:
Larus belcheri

Avibase ID:
2864A5B05DE1A330

Taxonomic Serial Number:
TSN: 176843

Geographic range:

• Larus belcheri: Humboldt Current of Peru and Chile, disperses to Ecuador

Sources recognizing this taxon

Taxonomic status:

View status: full species (sometimes nominal subspecies)

This taxon is a subspecies of Larus [belcheri or atlanticus] (sensu lato) by some authors