GETTING TO KNOW THE GULLS

Ring-Billed Gull

Photo courtesy of Sharon Milligan

The family Laridae, to which gulls and terns are assigned can be difficult for the beginning birder to separate and identify. There is a sameness in coloration which seems to imply that one gull or tern cannot be told from another.

If you have been procrastinating that trip to the beach because these birds confound your identification techniques, I hope that this column will at least simplify the gull population along the coast for you.

There are certain features that have made the gulls somewhat easier for me… though it may be a departure from accepted birding techniques… which I’d like to pass along.

While it is true that gulls, terns and other birds whose habitat is comprised mostly of sea and sand, are of similar plumages; (mostly white, with shades of gray, brown, and black) and have some identical behavioral patterns, each species, like every individual on earth, has a distinctive difference that sets it apart from all the others and.. VIVE LE DIFFERENCE!

Gulls are larger than terns, generally speaking, and are more robust, with stouter bills and stouter feet. They may often sit on the water like ducks, and unlike the terns, they will eat refuse and dead sea animals.

Let us assume that the differences between gulls and terns were resolved for you some time ago and go directly to the four species of gulls which will be dependably present and how to sort them out in almost any convocation along the beach, AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR..

These are the Herring Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Bonaparte’s Gull and our resident Laughing Gull. By summer, all but the Laughing Gulls, (and here and there a misplaced young Herring Gull) will have departed to points north and west.

Of these four species, the Herring Gull can be told from a distance by its very large proportions of 23-26 inches, dwarfing the others. When among other gulls, the size alone can be your best field mark. The adult wears a gray mantle with black wing tips and flesh colored legs. Immatures are dusky brown and quite dark and second year birds are somewhat lighter. Learning to identify this largest of our gulls can give you a point of reference. When mention is made of the “seagull”, this is the bird that appears in our mind’s eye, an abundant and familiar gull of the eastern seaboard and the interior.

Quite similar to the Herring Gull, but noticeably smaller, is the Ring-Billed Gull (18-20 inches). Know this gull by the black ring at the tip of an otherwise yellow bill… at any age and in any plumage. In flight you can separate the Ring-billed from the Herring by its yellow or greenish legs, smaller size and more buoyant flight.

At this time of year, Laughing Gulls are developing some dusky face marks… dark streaks will have appeared on the white heads which they have worn throughout the winter. Separate them from those above by the smaller size (15-17 ½ inches), very dark mantle with darker wing tips, and a conspicuous white border that lines the hind edge of the wings.

Summer Laughing Gulls should be very familiar to even the least observant among us. Their handsome black heads, white ring nearly encircling the eye, bright red bill, and very dark mantle, with white underbody combine to make it a striking bird.

Last, but not least, look for the delicate Bonaparte’s Gull by its smallest size (12-14 inches). At this time of year, “Bony” is wearing a black spot behind the eye on an otherwise white head and that will be your best field mark. In flight, the Bony shows a distinctive wing pattern.. there is a long triangle of white on the outer part of the gray wing, the trailing edges of which are bordered in black.

If you can associate each gull with a few key words, all of a sudden you will know them.

Herring Gull  .. LARGEST

Ring Billed Gull .. BLACK RING ON YELLOW BILL

Laughing Gull.. VERY DARK MANTLE     and

Bonaparte’s Gull.. BLACK SPOT BEHIND EYE.

While all these gulls share common characteristics, these key words highlight the differences.

Your field guide will still be your best reference and this column is not meant as a substitute. In the interests of candor, it is possible, though not probable, that  **two other gulls, Franklin’s Gull or Glaucous Gull, may make an unscheduled appearance on the coast, but if you have succeeded in sorting out these four common gulls, you will be well on your way to easy identification of the others. 

**Editor's note – since this article was written, in addition to the two Judy mentions above, the status of some other gulls has changed (Lesser Black-backed Gull, for example, can be added to the rare list ). But, for the purpose of learning the most common of our winter gulls, this article is still valid, and helpful to the beginning birder.

This article was published in February 1977