Larus Chronicles

An unfortunate truth of the so-called "gulling community" is that many members of this group have failed to separate the gull-watcher and the bird-watcher. The pursuit of Larus is so utterly far removed from the pedestrian hobby of birding that to conflate the two is an insult to the very nature of this complex family. Alas, this is not the mindset of many self-proclaimed "gullers", who would rather stretch each and every specimen that does not fit neatly into the pre-defined norms of a "species" into its own distinct taxon. These hobbyists, more akin to common twitchers than true Larophiles, seek order where none exists. They impose their sterile taxonomic fetishes upon a lineage that thrives in the gray. And so, few Larus remain unmolested by the eager scalpels of these misguided souls in their attempt to carve structure into a genus that sneers at rigidity. This mentality has given rise to a host of mass delusions, including but not limited to "Tha...

I recently outlined that the so-called "Thayer's Gull" is not a subspecies of Iceland Gull as parroted by numerous authorities, but rather represents the northwesternmost cline of Herring Gull (or American Herring Gull, as per Clements' latest whims). As is expected for anything that dares threaten the sacred taxonomic status quo, my findings have been treated with unwarranted skepticism, and, from some quarters, outright hostility. I was pleased, however, that a select few have met it with discussion and thought-provoking questions! Dismissers, take note: this is the appropriate response to careful research presented by an experienced figure. This post is intended for those who are not afraid to question existing "authorities" when data points in a new direction. Distribution of the northwestern Herring Gull. To reiterate, this entity represents a broad cline and should not be recognized as distinct from Herring Gull in any way, shape, or form. The isola...

I guess I’ll cut to the chase- I’m a veteran student of Larus (at it 40+ years!) that knows his stuff. Of course, many would claim this, but remain sadly ignorant to the true nature of this family. A distressing percentile of so-called “gullers” are obstinate in dismissing my findings, whether out of convenience or the belief that they have this clade “all figured out”, I am not not sure. But it is not wise to ignore 40+ years of experience and research! Through many decades of astute observation, I have concluded that there is a previously unrecognized western continuum of North America’s Herring Gull (now sadly called “American Herring Gull” by certain “authorities”!), averaging smaller, shorter-billed, dark-eyed, and with slightly paler primaries incorporating a variable amount of black markings. Most gullers are no doubt familiar with the purported “Thayer’s Gull”, considered by various bodies to be either a distinct entity or a part of the ever-expanding “Iceland Gull complex”. Th...