European Herring Gull

European Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) is a large gull with pale grey back, black-and-white wingtips, pink legs and heavy yellow bill marked red. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is an adaptable coastal omnivore that takes fish, invertebrates, carrion and refuse and nests on cliffs, islands and roofs. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).