Don’t be all at sea over gulls
Never say seagull if you are a birdwatcher. The word fits well as a nickname for
Brighton and Hove Albion, and seaside day-trippers can even be forgiven for screaming it when being robbed of their fish and chip suppers on the pier.
Yet for a birder to lump such stately creatures into one single group shows an urgent need for a masterclass in gull identification.
Fortunately, 2022 sees the arrival of a book that heralds a new age of understanding these fascinating birds, whether marvelling at them on the coast or over inland marshes, reservoirs and rubbish tips.
Gulls of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East: An Identification Guide will undoubtedly become the go-to text to delve into the complexities of a family that has long challenged expert birders.
To study most gull species demands both background knowledge and forensic analysis, and this is where the new guide comes into its own with a comprehensive breakdown of the different plumage cycles each species goes through in a lifetime. Not only do many gulls have seasonal plumages, they also mature over several years with distinctly different patterning.
Decades ago, the herring gull – yes, the very bird most people would declare as the archetypal seagull – was regarded singularly, but advances in DNA research and expert field studies have discovered a host of geographical variations.
By using the guide’s concise text and noting the extensive annotated photographs depicting the host of subtle clues on offer, it will be easier for birders to separate such species as Caspian gull, yellow-legged gull, American herring gull and Azores gull.
In all, the guide covers 45 species and uses 1,400 photographs to explore one of birdwatching’s final frontiers. Gull watching may seem challenging but, with this guide, confusion will turn into contentment. You will never say seagull again.
■■Gulls of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East: An Identification Guide (Princeton, £30).
Gulls are a complex family that has long challenged experts