2021 split
Mew Gull split: ours is Short-billed Gull
In 2021 Mew Gull became two species. The Mew Gull of western North America is now Short-billed Gull; Common Gull is the bird of Europe and Asia.
Updated
What changed
Nests in Alaska and northwestern Canada. Winters along the Pacific coast, from British Columbia to northern Baja California.
Nests across northern Europe and Asia. In North America only an occasional visitor, to Alaska and the East.
Who decided, and when
- American Ornithological Society (AOS): the 62nd Supplement to its Check-list of North American birds
- eBird and the Clements Checklist: its 2021 taxonomy update
- AviList, the shared world checklist: agrees, with the same names
Which one did you see?
Go by where you saw it. On the Pacific coast, and in Alaska and western Canada, it's Short-billed Gull.
Common Gull is a rare visitor here. The two differ mostly in their calls, and a little in their looks.
What it does to your list
For most birders in the US and Canada it's a new name only: your Mew Gull is now Short-billed Gull.
If you have also seen Common Gull, in Europe or Asia or as a rare visitor here, your total goes up by one.
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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