Gulls

Larinae

Bill of moderate length, straight, compressed, acute; upper mandible with the dorsal line generally straight until toward the end, when it is decurved, the ridge convex, the nasal groove rather long, the edges sharp, direct, overlapping, the tip rather acute and declinate; lower mandible with the angle long and very narrow, the dorsal line ascending and nearly straight, with an angular prominence at its commencement. Nostrils sub-medial or basal, oblong. Head of moderate size, ovate; neck of moderate length; body rather stout. Legs short or of moderate length; tibia bare at its lower part; tarsus anteriorly scutellate; toes four, the first very small, free, the third longest; anterior toes connected by webs. Claws small, arched, compressed, rather acute. Plumage full, soft, blended, somewhat compact on the back and wings, the latter long and pointed; tail of twelve feathers, even, rounded, or emarginate. Tongue long, slender, pointed; oesophagus very wide; stomach rather small, moderately muscular, with a dense, longitudinally rugous epithelium; intestine of moderate length and width; coeca small; cloaca globular. Trachea simple, with a single pair of inferior laryngeal muscles. Nest on the ground, rudely constructed. Eggs few, not exceeding four, spotted. Young covered with down.

Genus I : Gull

Black-headed Gull
Plate 314
Kittiwake Gull
Plate 224
Ivory Gull
Plate 287
Common American Gull
Plate 212
White-winged silvery Gull
Plate 282
Herring Gull
Plate 291
Burgomaster Gull
Plate 396
Black Backed Gull
Plate 241

Genus II : Skimmer

Black Skimmer, or Shearwater
Plate 323

Genus III : Tern

Cayenne Tern
Plate 273
Marsh Tern
Plate 410
Sandwich Tern
Plate 279
Sooty Tern
Plate 235
Havell's Tern and Trudeau's Tern
Plate 409
Arctic Tern
Plate 250
Roseate Tern
Plate 240
Black Tern
Plate 280
Noddy Tern
Plate 275

About This Guide

High-resolution images courtesy of the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove, Audubon, PA, and the Montgomery County, PA, Audubon Collection. Learn more about the John James Audubon Center