American Herring Gull

Description:

The American Herring Gull or Smithsonian Gull is a large gull which breeds in North America, where it is treated by the American Ornithologists' Union as a subspecies of Herring Gull. Adults are white with gray back and wings, black wingtips with white spots, and pink legs. Immature birds are gray-brown and are darker and more uniform than European Herring Gulls, with a darker tail. It occurs in a variety of habitats including coasts, lakes, rivers and garbage dumps. Its broad diet includes invertebrates, fish, and many other items. It usually nests near water, laying around three eggs in a scrape on the ground.