American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)Where and when to see it in the UK
Status not yet classified · reporting peaks March · Skimmers, Noddies, Terns, and Gulls · BOU category A
Peak months
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (grid squares, place names from OS Open Names). Northern Ireland place names: OSNI Open Data, OGL v3.0. County and country boundaries: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0. Coastline: Natural Earth. Bird records from the data partners listed here.
American Herring Gull has been recorded in 23 of the 2,971 10 km squares covering UK land (1%) in records to 2026. Its strongest squares are in England, Scotland and Wales. Reporting peaks in March.
Conservation status: Not Evaluated (IUCN Red List, NE)
View on the IUCN Red List- Very high
- 100% or more of visits
- High
- 100% to 100%
- Moderate
- 3% to 100%
- Low
- under 3%
- Surveyed, not recorded
- at least 20 qualifying visits, no record
- Insufficient records
- too few visits to say
- Lighter fill
- Few visits, lower confidence
- Small dot
- Occasional: a single record, or out of season
Relative to this species' best squares (how classes are calculated)
Seasonality
| Month | Relative to peak | Share of visits | Typical class |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13% | <1% | Very high |
| February | 80% | <1% | Moderate |
| March | 100% | <1% | Moderate |
| April | 73% | <1% | Very high |
| May | 16% | <1% | Very high |
| June | 5% | <1% | Very high |
| July | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| August | 0% | <1% | Very high |
| September | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| October | 10% | <1% | Low |
| November | 0% | <1% | Insufficient records |
| December | 0% | <1% | Very high |
Squares with the highest reporting rate in March
| Square | Where | Share of visits | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| NR72 | Argyll and Bute, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| SJ28 | Wirral, England | 100% | Very high |
| NN17 | Highland, Scotland | 36% | Moderate |
| SW42 | Cornwall, England | 4% | Moderate |
| C42 | Derry City and Strabane, Northern Ireland | <1% | Insufficient records |
| NF19 | Na h-Eileanan Siar, Scotland | <1% | Insufficient records |
| NL69 | Na h-Eileanan Siar, Scotland | <1% | Insufficient records |
| NR62 | Argyll and Bute, Scotland | <1% | Insufficient records |
| SD31 | Lancashire, England | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |
| SD33 | Lancashire, England | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |