The Herring Gull Larus argentatus is considered a regular but scarce visitor to Spain, but its detailed status is uncertain. Here I present a compilation of published (primarily annual bird reports) and unpublished information (internet forums, direct communications by local ornithologists, ringing recoveries) to clarify the distribution and numbers of Herring Gulls in Spain, and their origins. More detailed information on age composition and phenology is presented for Asturias (NW Spain), perhaps the region where the species is most studied. According to ring recoveries (n = 43), the majority of Herring Gulls visiting Spain belong to the subspecies L. a. argenteus (mainly from the British Isles), with only 7% coming from breeding areas of the Nordic subspecies L. a. argentatus. Most observations occur in autumn and winter, being scarcer in spring and summer, and numbers vary between years. Two-thirds of birds recorded were in their first two years of life, with adults comprising only a quarter of the total. Ringing recoveries suggest Herring Gulls were more common in Spain 30+ years ago than at present. Data from winter censuses in Asturias between 2002 and 2007 gave a mean proportion of 1.06% Herring Gulls amongst the Yellow-legged Gull L. michahellis contingent. It is estimated that between 250 and 400 Herring Gulls are present in Asturias in mid January, and between 500 and 700 in the whole of Spain at the time of the winter censuses. There are two possible but unconfirmed attempts of breeding.

Historically, few Spanish ornithologists have dedicated time to gull watching, but in recent years there has been an upsurge in the number of people doing so. Many taxa of gulls require clarification of their status in Spain, both numerically and temporally, and one such species is the Herring Gull Larus argentatus. Herring Gulls breed along the Atlantic coasts of Europe, except in Iberia, the subspecies L. a. argenteus from France north through the British Isles to Faroe and Iceland, and L. a. argentatus from Norway and Germany east through the Baltic counties to northwest Russia, with an overlap zone in the Low Counties and western Germany (Malling Olsen & Larsson 2004). Northernmost continental populations are the most migratory, and both subspecies winter regularly as far south as the UK and France.

There is little relevant information about the species’ status in Spain in older (e.g. García Sánchez 1990) or more recent studies (Álvarez Laó 2004; Sandoval Rey 2005), and the basic information remains that which was contributed by several ornithologists for the book Seabirds of Spain and Portugal (Aves marinas de España y Portugal) (Paterson 1997). It was believed then that Herring Gulls were regular but scarce on the north coast of Spain (mainly L. a. argenteus), but accidental elsewhere. However, more recent information on Herring Gulls exists in regional annual reports, and to provide an update of its status in Spain, a compilation of these data was carried out, with special emphasis on more intensive observations in the Asturias autonomous community.

Andy Paterson translated the text into English. Antonio Sandoval Rey, Antonio Gutiérrez and Javier Marchamalo supplied the data for the majority of ringing recoveries, as well as other data from Galicia. Elías García Sánchez supplied data and comments from his censuses in Asturias. Other colleagues supplied a variety of information: Albert Cama Torrell, Carlos Alvarez Cros, Luis José Salaverri Leirás, Maties Rebassa Beltrán, Antonio Gutiérrez Pita, Alfredo Herrero Gorrotxategi, Pep Arcos, Miguel Tirado Bernat, José Luis Copete, Delfín González Fernández, Ignacio Menéndez Vega, Fernando Arce González, Miguel Juan Martínez, Javier Marchamalo de Blas and Juan José Ramos Melo. Martin Heubeck, Pep Arcos and Albert Cama Torrell helped improve the manuscript.

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