There is a wide variety of gulls and terns to be found here at certain times of year. Some, like the ring-billed gull are quite numerous. Others appear only occasionally.
Ring-billed gulls are the ones noticed by most people. They are even seen around shopping malls and fast food restaurants. They also follow farmers tilling the soil, looking for grubs and other things to eat.
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Gulls are sometimes hard to identify because their plumage changes as they mature. Many experienced bird-watchers have learned to identify first, second and third year birds of a species. Most of us, however, don't have the experience to pick out the unusual gulls from a large flock, especially when many of them are in flight!
Here, we have offered a pictorial sampling of gulls and terns seen in Illinois. Discovering that even gulls can be diverse and often beautiful is a suprise to many. We will add more pictures as they become available.
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