2024 split
Herring Gull split into four species
In 2024 eBird split Herring Gull into four species, and the AOS followed in 2025. The Herring Gull of the US and Canada is now American Herring Gull.
Updated
What changed
The Herring Gull of North America, the one to expect almost everywhere in the US and Canada.
Nests in northeastern Siberia and on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea, and winters in East Asia. In North America it is mainly a bird of western Alaska.
Europe. In North America only a very rare stray: the ABA added it after a bird in Newfoundland.
Nests in Mongolia and nearby, and winters in East Asia. Not a North American bird.
Who decided, and when
- eBird and the Clements Checklist: its 2024 taxonomy update
- American Birding Association (ABA): added Vega Gull to the ABA Checklist (and European Herring Gull in September 2025)
- AviList, the shared world checklist: agrees, with the same names
- American Ornithological Society (AOS): the 66th Supplement to its Check-list of North American birds
Which one did you see?
Go by where you saw it. In the lower 48 states and across Canada, it's American Herring Gull.
Vega Gull is the one to think about only in western Alaska, where it is common in parts. Adult Vega Gulls have a slightly darker gray back.
What it does to your list
For most birders in the US and Canada nothing changes but the name: your Herring Gull is now American Herring Gull.
If you have also seen a Vega Gull in Alaska or Asia, or a European Herring Gull in Europe, the split adds one (or two) to your total.
Check your own list. Drop your eBird download or type your birds: the free checker shows which of them this and other recent changes touched.
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