The immature herring gull is the same basic size as an adult, but the plumage is a study in browns. Also note that the bill is black, and the eyes are black, but the legs and feet are pink.

Unlike other guides, Pete Dunne and Kevin Karlson's new book doesn't focus on plumage.

I’ve seen such tactics used by herring gulls numerous times in many places, including along Lake Erie. Many other gull species do this as well, including our common ring-billed gull.

For starters, Ayyash said, focus on adult birds and get familiar with the most common species. Around here, that means Herring Gull and Ring-billed Gull, both year-round residents.

Gulls, like this herring gull, have tremendous variability in plumage as they age but that makes identification fun. Photo Credit: Kathy Adams Clark.

Herring gulls “vary considerably across the Northern Hemisphere, and this, combined with their tendency to hybridize with other gull species, causes headaches in both taxonomy and identification ...

Species such as the Herring Gull, the Lesser Black-backed Gull, and the Black-legged Kittiwake potentially have a behavioral flexibility that allows them to nest in more challenging locations like ...