Herring Gull

The herring gull is a large, common gull found along coasts, rivers and inland waters across much of Europe, North America and other parts of the Northern Hemisphere, one of the most familiar and widespread seabirds in the region. Adults have a grey back, white head and underparts, black wingtips and pink legs, along with a red spot near the tip of the bill that chicks instinctively peck at to prompt their parents to regurgitate food. Herring gulls are highly adaptable and opportunistic feeders, eating fish, shellfish, carrion, insects and increasingly human food waste and refuse, a shift in diet that has allowed some coastal populations to thrive in towns and cities, sometimes to the point of becoming a nuisance around food sources. The species is intelligent and resourceful, using techniques such as dropping shellfish from height onto hard surfaces to crack them open, and while numerous overall, some regional populations have declined in recent decades due to changing fishing practices and habitat pressures.