Gulls

Gulls are large swimming birds that vary in appearance depending on age and season of the year. In general, adults have:

• A whitish body with varying gray and black coloration.
• Squared or rounded tails.
• Long wings
• Bills that are less pointed than those of terns and held straight ahead while in flight.

What species of gulls live in the Bay watershed?

Four species of gulls can be found in the Bay region.

• The herring gull, Larus argentatus, has a white head and gray back. Its legs are pinkish; its wing tips are black with white spots; and its yellow beak has a red spot near the tip of the lower bill. It grows to about 26 inches from the bill to the tail, with a wingspan of about 58 inches.
• The great black-backed gull, Larus marinus, is the largest gull found in the Bay watershed. Its head and underparts are white and its back and wings are black. It has pink to flesh-colored legs and a large yellow bill with a red spot on the lower bill. It grows to about 31 inches with a wingspan of about 65 inches.
• The laughing gull, Larus atricilla, has a black head and deep red bill during breeding season. In winter it has a black bill and its head is white with a smudge of gray. Its underparts are white; its legs and feet are dark orange to black; and its back and wings are dark gray with black wing tips. It grows to about 17 inches with a wingspan of about 40 inches.
• The ring-billed gull, Larus delawarensis, looks similar to the herring gull, except it is smaller in size; has yellowish to pale greenish legs; and has a distinctive black ring on its bill. It grows to about 19 inches.

Where do gulls live?

Gulls are common year-round in the Bay region. They are found in many locations, including beaches, harbors, rivers, landfills, farm fields, parking lots and around open waters.

• Herring gulls are the most common species in the area. They are often seen around landfills, beaches, piers and other waterfront areas on the Bay and its tidal rivers. They live in the Bay watershed year-round but are more common from fall through spring than in the summer.
• Great black-backed gulls are also common around the beaches of the Bay and its tidal rivers, particularly in the middle and lower Bay.
• Laughing gulls are common from spring through fall along the Bay's piers, beaches and wetlands, but also spend time in newly plowed farm fields. In autumn they move up the Bay's tidal rivers, and in winter they fly southward.
• Ring-billed gulls are the Bay's most abundant winter gull. In spring they join laughing gulls on freshly plowed farm fields. In summer they are less common around the Bay and more abundant on freshwater lakes and rivers.

What do gulls eat?

Gulls are mostly scavengers, feeding on a wide variety of fish, insects, mollusks and garbage, as well as the eggs and young of other bird species.

• Herring and great black-backed gulls will often drop live clams and oysters onto piers and paved areas to crack open the shells.
• Laughing and ring-billed gulls hover over freshly plowed farm fields in search of grubs.

What do gulls sound like?

• Herring gulls: A loud hiyak, hiyah, hyiah-hyak or yuk-yuk-yuk-yuk-yuckle-yuckle; also makes gah-gah-gahs when alarmed.
• Great black-backed gulls: Deep, harsh kyows or owks.
• Laughing gulls: Named for their laughing-like call, a shrill ha-ha-ha-haah-haah.
• Ring-billed gulls: A higher-pitched version of the herring gull's voice.

Where do gulls nest and breed?

Gulls are colonial nesters and are often crowded together on nesting grounds.

• Herring and great black-backed gulls breed on the Bay's islands near Tangier Sound. Female herring gulls lay an average of three olive to light blue eggs, which hatch in about 24 to 28 days.
• Laughing gulls nest from late May to early August in sand dunes and salt marshes. Females lay an average of three olive to buff-colored eggs, which hatch in about 20 days.

The gulls found in the Bay watershed take three to four years to reach maturity. Immature gulls are often variably colored and confusing to identify.

• Herring gulls are a four-year gull, meaning that it takes four years for one to obtain its breeding plumage. In their first winter, herring gulls are speckled or marbled dusky brown to tan; their plumage gets paler in their second and third winters.
• Great black-backed gull are also a four-year gull. Their young are larger and more checkered-patterned with contrasting colors than first-year herring gulls. In their second and third years, great black-backed young are darker and have larger bills than herring gulls.
• Laughing gulls are a three-year gull, meaning that it takes three years for one to obtain its breeding plumage. In their first winter, laughing gulls have a brown head and back; dark wings with a white border on the trailing edge; and a black band on their white tail. In their second winter, laughing gulls look similar to adults, but still have a black band on the tail.
• Ring-billed gulls are also a three-year gull. The young look similar to second- or third-year herring gulls, except that the black tail band on ring-billed gulls is narrower and more well-defined.

Other facts about gulls:

• Commonly called “seagulls,” which is not considered proper by scientists.
• Herring and great black-backed gull chicks will peck at the red spot on their parents' bills to get the adults to feed them.
• Ring-billed gulls are often confused with herring gulls. You can distinguish an adult ring-billed gull by its smaller size and the black ring on its bill.
• Will often conserve energy while scavenging for food by hovering over a bridge to absorb the rising heat from the paved roadway.