Gulls

Gulls are sometimes confused with terns, which are similar in color. Gulls are generally larger than terns and have square tails, whereas most terns have forked tails. A noticeable difference can be seen in the upper bill, which is ridged and hooked at the end in gulls and almost straight in terns.

Gulls are predominantly white in color with a grayish mantle. The color of the mantle varies with the seasons. The color of the head in most species is dark in the summer and white in the winter. All of the species are web-footed and swim readily. However, you seldom see them diving. There are several species of gulls found in South Florida. These include the Black-backed Gulls (Lesser and Greater), Herring Gull, Laughing Gull, and the Ring-billed Gull.

Greater Black-backed Gull - Larus marinus

Herring Gull - Larus argentatus

Laughing Gull - Larus atricilla

Gulls typicaly take up to three years, some take four years, to reach maturity. Thus, a typical gull may exhiibit six or more different plumage stages. The above Laughing Gull images show the following plumages: Juvenile (Aug-Nov); 1st winter (Nov-Mar); 1st summer (Mar-Aug); 2nd winter (Aug-Mar); Adult non-breeding plumage (Sep-Mar); and Adult breeding (Mar-Sep).

Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis

Heermann's Gull - Larus heermanni

The Heerman's Gull is a west coast bird and is seldom seen in Florida. The bird in the above images showed up at Fort DeSoto about two years ago and has remained. Locals have named it "Herman." It can usually be seen on the East Beach around 9:00 in the morning.