Photo credit: Donna Tolbert Anderson. 

Conservation Status: Stable. Gulls are extraordinary birds. They are able to fly long distances and glide over the open ocean for hours in search of food. Gulls can fly as fast as 28 mph. They can even drink salty ocean water when thirsty. The birds have evolved to have a special pair of glands right above their eyes to flush the salt from their body through openings in their bill. This enables a gull to spend several days foraging for food atop salty ocean waters without needing to return to land just to get a drink of fresh water.
The Herring Gull is currently the most widespread large gull. It experienced a sharp decline during the 19th Century, mostly due to feather- and egg-hunting.