Identification:

Small grey gull with red legs. Adults have red bills (juveniles have darker beaks), white heads and bodies, and light grey "silver" wings with distinctive black and white tips.

Common across much of New Zealand and coastal Australia, including inland areas around waterways and rivers.

The Herring Gull should not be confused with the Herring Gull, known in many other languages ​​as the Herring Gull (scientific name Larus argentatus, German Herring Gull, French Goéland argenté, Dutch zilvermeeuw), but there is no distribution overlap with this significantly larger, more robust gull species.

Description:

Adult

The head, body, and tail of an adult herring gull are white, and the wings are light grey, black with white spots at the tips. Adults are 40–45 cm (15–17 in) long. Their wingspan ranges from 271 to 314 mm (10–12 in). Adults have bright red bills, which become brighter during the breeding season or as they age.

Juveniles have brown patterns on their wings and a dark beak.