GULL, the common name for sea-birds of the family Laridae, sub-family Larinae.
Perhaps the most beautiful of all gulls is the ivory gull (Pag ophila eburnea), which breeds in the high Arctic. The plumage is pure white, the legs black. The well-known kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) inhabits the seas of the northern hemisphere, breeding as far south as the coasts of Britain ; in this species the hind toe is lacking. Of the numerous species of the genus Larus, the largest are the glaucous and greater black-backed gulls (L. glaucus and L. marinus), of which the former is circumpolar, the latter nearly so, not occurring, however, between Labrador and Japan. These species are more or less raptorial in their habits, eating the eggs, young, and even adults of many other birds. L. minutus of Europe is the smallest species.
The black-headed gull, L. ridi bundus, breeds in large colonies in marshes, but most species prefer cliffs. The silvery gull (L. novae-hollandiae) has a southern habitat. The rare and beautiful roseate gull (Rhodos tethia rosea) is recognized by the pink tinge in its plumage; it is an Arctic form. Sabine's gull, Xerna sabinii, breeds in Arctic America and Siberia. It has a forked tail. Franklin's gull (L. franklini) inhabits the interior of North America, breeding in marshes. It is the only bird with a monument to it—there being one in Salt Lake City to commemorate its services in the destruction of grass hoppers. The herring gull (L. argentatus) is the commonest Atlan tic species.