Since so many gull species look so similar, it’s essential to
consider size and shape and range to tell them apart. Both
California Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls are considerably smaller
than Herring Gulls, with a daintier bill and more slender body.
Both California Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls tend to be more
common in inland locations than Herring Gulls. On the West
Coast, the similarly sized Glaucous-winged Gull is heftier
overall with a thicker bill, shorter wings and stockier body.
They typically have gray wingtips, though hybrids with the
Western Gull (hybrids are common around Puget Sound) can have
black wingtips. Lesser Black-backed Gulls are slightly smaller
and longer-winged than Herring Gulls; adults have darker backs
and yellow, not pink, legs. The Great Black-backed Gull of the
East Coast and Western Gull of the West Coast are considerably
larger and darker on the back as adults than Herring Gulls.
Herring Gulls vary considerably across the Northern Hemisphere,
and this combined with their tendency