Infidelity to the natal colony by breeding herring gulls

Abstract

This paper details instances of Herring Gulls breeding away from their natal colony. In recent years, some 15000 Herring Gulls have been ringed as chicks on the Isle of May (Scotland). Recoveries of these ringed gulls in various gull culls, together with recoveries reported by the general public through the British Trust for Ornithology’s ringing scheme, and the results of searches in other colonies, provide good evidence that significant numbers of Herring Gulls recruit to colonies other than the colony of birth. A wide dispersal of young Herring Gulls from the natal colony has important implications for gull control. © 1977 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.