[Length 30 in. Wingspan 65 in.]

Great Black-backed Gulls occur in eastern North America and most of Europe. In North America it is strictly coastal, and is the largest gull found along the eastern shores of Canada and the US. Although it easily dominates the Herring Gulls with which it normally associates, it is wary of people and will fly away before the Herring Gulls when a mixed flock is approached. This one, looking a little bored with it all, was photographed at Manasquan Inlet, New Jersey. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: December 1983)

[Length 30 in. Wingspan 65 in.]

This Great Black-backed Gull was photographed at Baltasound, Unst, Shetland, Scotland, Great Britain. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S f4 lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D100 camera. (Date: June 6, 2004)

[Length 19 in. Wingspan 51 in.]

This Heermann's Gull in flight was photographed along the coast near Santa Maria, California. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: September 1997)

[Length 19 in. Wingspan 51 in.]

This Heermann's Gull was photographed along the coast near Santa Maria, California. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: September 1997)

[Length 19 in. Wingspan 51 in.]

This immature Heermann's Gull was photographed at Morro Bay, California. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: November 1997)

[Length 25 in. Wingspan 58 in.]

This Herring Gull was photographed at Baltasound, Unst, Shetland, Scotland, Great Britain. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S f4 lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D100 camera. (Date: June 6, 2004)

[Length 25 in. Wingspan 58 in.]

This Herring Gull was photographed at Baltasound, Unst, Shetland, Scotland, Great Britain. Photo taken with a Nikkor 105mm EDAF-D f2.8 lens (EFL=157mm) on a Nikon D100 camera. (Date: June 6, 2004)

[Length 25 in. Wingspan 58 in.]

Herring Gulls occur throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. In North America they breed throughout much of Alaska, northern and eastern Canada, and the northeastern US. They winter across much of the US. This one was photographed on the rocks at Acadia National Park in Maine. Photo taken with a 300mm f4.5 Nikkor ED lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: July 1981)