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Project Noah Nature School
Larus argentatus smithsonianus
Adults are white with gray back and wings, black wingtips with white spots, and pink legs. Immature birds are gray-brown. This bird was first described as a new species in 1862 by Elliott Coues based on a series of specimens from the Smithsonian Institution. It was later reclassified as a subspecies of the herring gull. The taxonomy of the herring gull group is very complicated and much is still controversial and uncertain. A 2002 study suggested that the American herring gull is not closely related to European herring gulls, belonging instead to a separate clade of gulls.
Topsail Island, NC
Spotted on Sep 8, 2011
Submitted on Nov 30, 2013
3 Comments
A belated thanks, Ava. This is one of my favorite spottings and I was surprised when I realized that I had not included it in Noah.
I love this series!
Great series Maria!