Responsiveness of young herring gulls to stimuli from their own and other species: effects of training with food

1979 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 1452-1457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger M. Evans
Keyword(s):  
Visual Stimulus ◽  
Normal Development ◽  
Larus Argentatus ◽  
Herring Gull ◽  
Vocal Responses ◽  
Herring Gulls ◽  
Species Effects ◽  
Initial Tendency ◽  
Food Conditioning

Young herring gulls (Larus argentatus) are known to emit vocalizations and approach their mew-calling parents when the latter return lo the colony with food for their chicks. In contrast, laboratory-reared young deprived of experience with adults approach and vocalize only rarely lo parental mew calls, although they will respond more strongly to the mew calls of two other species. These results suggest that posthatch experience, such as receipt of food from a calling parent, may be important for the normal development of responses to species typical calls. I tested the effects of food training by exposing young herring gulls, in the laboratory, lo mew calls during feedings. By 7 days of age, responses to herring gull calls increased significantly for young trained with these calls, and the initial tendency for the young to respond selectively to mew calls of the ring-billed gull (L. delawarensis) was reversed. Food training also influenced approach and vocal responses to a visual stimulus (my hand) used to deliver food. Results suggest that approach and vocal responses of young herring gulls may be strongly and adaptively influenced by food conditioning during the first few days after hatching.

scholarly journals The herring gull Larus argentatus as a likely transmitting agent of Salmonella montevideo to sheep and cattle

1983 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Coulson ◽  
J. Butterfield ◽  
C. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Circumstantial Evidence ◽  
Larus Argentatus ◽  
Herring Gull ◽  
Breeding Area ◽  
Original Source ◽  
Herring Gulls ◽  
Wintering Area

SUMMARYThis paper presents evidence for the involvement of herring gulls (Larus argentatus) as vectors in the recent outbreaks of Salmonella montevideo in sheep and cattle in Scotland and suggests that the transfer can take place over considerable distances. The breeding area in Scotland of herring gulls which overwinter in N.E. England is remarkably similar to the geographical distribution of the outbreaks. This pattern, together with the feeding behaviour of herring gulls on farmland, the presence of S. montevideo in herring gulls just before their departure from the wintering area and the timing of the return just before the peak of outbreaks are all circumstantial evidence implicating this gull in the outbreaks. The rapid return of these gulls to their breeding areas means that S. montevideo can be transported long distances in one day and raises the possibility that the original source of S. montevideo could have been in N. E. England rather than in Scotland.

Heat loss from feet of herring gulls at rest and during flight

1976 ◽  
Vol 230 (4) ◽  
pp. 920-924 ◽  
Author(s):  
RV Baudinette ◽  
JP Loveridge ◽  
KJ Wilson ◽  
CD Mills ◽  
K Schmidt-Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Heat Loss ◽  
Heat Production ◽  
Heat Dissipation ◽  
Larus Argentatus ◽  
Herring Gull ◽  
Herring Gulls

The role of the feet of herring gulls (Larus argentatus) in heat dissipation was estimated during rest and wind-tunnel flight. We determined the blood flow to the feet and the arteriovenous temperature difference and thus estimated heat loss from the feet. Determinations of oxygen consumption and respiratory water loss at rest gave a heat production of about 8 W; 37-56% of this heat was lost from the feet (air temp = 10-35 degrees C). During flight heat production was estimated to be about 57 W and heat loss from the feet was 46 W, about 80% of the heat production in flight. Thus the webbed feet are an important avenue of heat loss in the herring gull.

The effects of ice cover over the colony site on reproductive activities of herring gulls

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 607-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph D. Morris ◽  
John W. Chardine
Keyword(s):  
Lake Erie ◽  
Hatching Success ◽  
Thick Layer ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Larus Argentatus ◽  
Herring Gull ◽  
Herring Gulls ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Colony Site ◽  
Reproductive Activities

The substrate at a herring gull (Larus argentatus) colony on Lake Erie near Port Colborne, Ontario (Lighthouse), was completely covered by a thick layer of ice throughout April and early May 1982. Egg laying normally begins at this location in mid-April. An adjacent herring gull colony (Canada Furnace) was ice free. Herring gull pairs at the Lighthouse colony defended territories on top of the ice but only 3 of about 90 pairs built nests on the ice. Birds neither deserted the colony nor moved within it to ice-free areas as these became available. The mean date of egg laying at the Lighthouse colony in 1982 was about 2 weeks later than in the previous year. At the adjacent Canada Furnace colony, there was no difference in the mean date of egg laying between the 2 years. There were no differences in the distribution of clutch sizes, mean clutch sizes, or hatching success of three-egg clutches laid within ± 1 SD of the mean date of egg laying at either colony in the 2 years. By these measures, the ice-induced delay in breeding chronology of birds at the Lighthouse colony in 1982 did not adversely effect reproductive performance in that year.

Observed Herring Gull Kleptoparasitism of American Black Ducks

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-198
Author(s):  
Orrin E. Jones ◽  
Paul M. Castelli ◽  
Christopher K. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Larus Argentatus ◽  
Herring Gull ◽  
Daily Energy Expenditure ◽  
Uca Pugnax ◽  
Herring Gulls ◽  
Behavioral Observations ◽  
Daily Energy ◽  
American Black

Abstract Herring gulls Larus argentatus were observed to kleptoparasitize American black ducks Anas rubripes feeding on fiddler crabs Uca pugnax in coastal New Jersey. Although widespread in Laridae, kleptoparasitism has never been described between these two species. Over two winters of intensive 24-hour behavioral observations, this interaction was observed on two occasions during similar tidal conditions. Although this appears to be a rare interaction with limited energetic consequences, we note that quantifying these uncommon interspecific interactions is a benefit of thorough behavior observations, which may refine estimates of daily energy expenditure.

Studies on the helminth parasites of the American herring gull (Larus argentatus Pont.) in Newfoundland

1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 1119-1126 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Threlfall
Keyword(s):  
Larus Argentatus ◽  
Infected Bird ◽  
Herring Gull ◽  
Helminth Parasites ◽  
Intensity Of Infection ◽  
Host Animal ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Annual Variations ◽  
Herring Gulls ◽  
Site Preferences

Four hundred and ten herring gulls (128 chicks and 282 "adults"), obtained in Newfoundland, Canada, were examined for their helminth burden during 1966 and 1967. A total of 35 species of helminths were recovered during the survey (11 species of trematodes. 10 of cestodes, 11 of nematodes, and 3 of acanthocephala). Many of the records are new for Canada."Adult" birds were found to be far more heavily parasitized than the chicks, both with regard to number of birds infected and number of species per infected bird. Seasonal and annual variations were noted in the intensity of infection with certain species, while differences in the intensity of infection in male and female birds were noted in eight species. The helminths found were shown to have definite site preferences in the host animal.

Changes in nesting-habitat use of large gulls breeding in Witless Bay, Newfoundland

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (12) ◽  
pp. 2159-2167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory J Robertson ◽  
David Fifield ◽  
Melanie Massaro ◽  
John W Chardine
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Output ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
No Reduction ◽  
Breeding Habitat ◽  
Larus Argentatus ◽  
Herring Gull ◽  
Fish Prey ◽  
Oceanodroma Leucorhoa ◽  
Herring Gulls ◽  
Capelin Mallotus Villosus

We counted herring gull (Larus argentatus) and great black-backed gull (Larus marinus) nests in the Witless Bay Seabird Ecological Reserve in southeastern Newfoundland, Canada, in 1999 and 2000 and compared our results with previous nest counts from the 1970s. On Gull Island, herring gull nest numbers were 27.5% (1999) and 30.0% (2000) lower than in 1979. Similarly, on Great Island, by 2000 the numbers of herring gull nests had declined 40.8% from numbers in 1979. Counts of great black-backed gull nests were more variable, but suggest a slight or no reduction since 1979. Numbers of herring gulls nesting in rocky and puffin-slope habitats were much reduced (50–70%), while numbers nesting in meadows and forests have actually increased since the 1970s. Great black-backed gulls showed a similar change in nesting distribution. For herring gulls, these changes in nesting numbers matched differences in reproductive success previously documented in these habitats. We suggest that the decline in gull numbers and the change in breeding-habitat selection were caused by changes in the food availability for gulls. Reduced amounts of fisheries offal and the delayed arrival onshore of capelin (Mallotus villosus), an important fish prey species for gulls, have all likely led to the decline in gull reproductive output. Gulls nesting in meadows and forests may be maintaining adequate reproductive output by focusing on alternative prey, such as adult Leach's storm-petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa), rather than scarce refuse and fish.

scholarly journals Molecular identification of four Sarcocystis species in the herring gull, Larus argentatus, from Lithuania

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Petras Prakas ◽  
Dalius Butkauskas ◽  
Evelina Juozaitytė-Ngugu
Keyword(s):  
Light Microscopy ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Larus Argentatus ◽  
Infected Bird ◽  
Herring Gull ◽  
Sarcocystis Species ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Its1 Sequence ◽  
Herring Gulls

Abstract Background Birds of the family Laridae have not been intensively examined for infections with Sarcocystis spp. To date, sarcocysts of two species, S. lari and S. wobeseri, have been identified in the muscles of gulls. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the species richness of Sarcocystis in the herring gull, Larus argentatus, from Lithuania. Methods In the period between 2013 and 2019, leg muscles of 35 herring gulls were examined for sarcocysts of Sarcocystis spp. Sarcocystis spp. were characterised morphologically based on a light microscopy study. Four sarcocysts isolated from the muscles of each infected bird were subjected to further molecular examination. Sarcocystis species were identified by means of ITS1 sequence analysis. Results Sarcocysts were detected in 9/35 herring gulls (25.7%). Using light microscopy, one morphological type of sarcocysts was observed. Sarcocysts were microscopic, thread-like, had a smooth and thin (about 1 µm) cyst wall and were filled with banana-shaped bradyzoites. On the basis of ITS1 sequences, four Sarcocystis species, S. columbae, S. halieti, S. lari and S. wobeseri, were identified. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that a single infected herring gull could host two Sarcocystis species indistinguishable under light microscopy. Conclusions Larus argentatus is the first bird species found to act as intermediate host of four Sarcocystis spp. According to current knowledge, five species, S. falcatula, S. calchasi, S. wobeseri, S. columbae and S. halieti can use birds belonging to different orders as intermediate hosts.

Mercury in immature and adults Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus) wintering on the Gulf of Gdańsk area

2013 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilia Szumiło ◽  
Marta Szubska ◽  
Włodzimierz Meissner ◽  
Magdalena Bełdowska ◽  
Lucyna Falkowska
Keyword(s):  
Detection Limit ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
Average Concentration ◽  
Larus Argentatus ◽  
Herring Gull ◽  
Severe Winter ◽  
Internal Organs ◽  
Herring Gulls ◽  
Significant Linear Correlation

AbstractThis study presents total mercury concentrations (HgT) in selected tissues and organs (blood, muscles, liver, kidneys, feathers and claws) of the herring gull (Larus argentatus) in order to assess the environmental pollution in the coastal zone of the southern Baltic. Dead, frozen birds were collected in the vicinity of Wladysławowo between December 2009 and March 2010, an exceptionally severe winter — a total of 13 specimens; 6 adults (>4 years old) and 7 immature birds (≤4 years old). Mercury concentrations in all analyzed samples exceeded the detection limit. The lowest average concentration, at a level of 0.4 μg Hg g−1 (d.w.) was observed in the muscles of adult and immature gulls while the highest, at a level of 3.3 μg Hg g−1 (d.w), was determined in the contour of immature gulls. A significant linear correlation was found between mercury concentration in the blood and the concentration in the kidneys and liver, with the coefficients of determination at R2 = 0.87 and 0.86, respectively. This indicates that blood of birds, as a mercury carrier, may reflects the concentration of mercury in tissues and internal organs of birds and, in the case of kidneys and liver, may express long-term exposure to mercury in nourishment.

Spatial and temporal differences in the diet of Great Lakes herring gulls (Larus argentatus): evidence from stable isotope analysis

1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig E Hebert ◽  
J Laird Shutt ◽  
Keith A Hobson ◽  
DV Chip Weseloh
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Trophic Position ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Laurentian Great Lakes ◽  
Larus Argentatus ◽  
Herring Gull ◽  
Herring Gulls ◽  
Egg Formation

Stable nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) isotope values were measured in lipid-free homogenates of herring gull (Larus argentatus) eggs collected from the Laurentian Great Lakes during 1974-1995. δ15N values provided an indication of adult gull trophic position during egg formation. After adjustment of egg δ15N values for interlake differences in baseline food web δ15N signatures, significant differences in gull trophic position were found among colonies. These results were attributed to differing proportions of fish in the diets of gulls from the various colonies. Aquatic foods available to gulls had greater δ15N values than terrestrial foods. δ13C measurements provided some support for our hypothesis that terrestrial foods, particularly garbage, were more enriched in 13C than aquatic foods. As the proportion of fish in the diet decreased, the fraction consisting of terrestrial food increased, resulting in an increase in δ13C values and a decline in δ15N values. Stable isotope values for gull eggs from Lake Erie changed significantly during the study period and may have reflected a decline in fish availability.

scholarly journals Herring gulls respond to human gaze direction

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 20190405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeleine Goumas ◽  
Isabella Burns ◽  
Laura A. Kelley ◽  
Neeltje J. Boogert
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Gaze Direction ◽  
Larus Argentatus ◽  
Herring Gull ◽  
Herring Gulls ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Human Wildlife Conflict

Human–wildlife conflict is one of the greatest threats to species populations worldwide. One species facing national declines in the UK is the herring gull ( Larus argentatus ), despite an increase in numbers in urban areas. Gulls in urban areas are often considered a nuisance owing to behaviours such as food-snatching. Whether urban gull feeding behaviour is influenced by human behavioural cues, such as gaze direction, remains unknown. We therefore measured the approach times of herring gulls to a food source placed in close proximity to an experimenter who either looked directly at the gull or looked away. We found that only 26% of targeted gulls would touch the food, suggesting that food-snatching is likely to be conducted by a minority of individuals. When gulls did touch the food, they took significantly longer to approach when the experimenter's gaze was directed towards them compared with directed away. However, inter-individual behaviour varied greatly, with some gulls approaching similarly quickly in both treatments, while others approached much more slowly when the experimenter was looking at them. These results indicate that reducing human–herring gull conflict may be possible through small changes in human behaviour, but will require consideration of behavioural differences between individual gulls.

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