herring gull

American  

noun

1. a common, large gull, Larus argentatus, of the Northern Hemisphere.

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herring gull British  

noun

1. a common gull, Larus argentatus, that has a white plumage with black-tipped wings and pink legs

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Etymology

Origin of herring gull

An Americanism dating back to 1820–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

herring gull

In the 1930s, the U.S. government initiated a massive gull control program in New England where they destroyed over 800,000 herring gull and Great Black-backed gull eggs over the course of around two decades.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2024

Every herring gull had a half-chewed herring at its feet.

From Slate ● Feb. 4, 2024

Gulls are long-lived — life spans of 20 years are not unheard of, and one of the oldest on record was a 49-year-old herring gull.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2019

One of the more interesting samples, from a herring gull, has a white object tangled in it.

From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2016

I turned away and found a perch on a pylon where a herring gull had been keeping watch but was now down among the baitfish, guzzling its lunch.

From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk