Editing Gull (section)

==Description and morphology==
[[File:Larus pacificus Bruny Island.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|The [[Pacific gull]] is a large white-headed gull with a distinctively heavy bill.]]
Gulls range in size from the [[little gull]], at {{convert|120|g|oz|abbr=off|frac=4}} and {{convert|29|cm|in|abbr=off|frac=2}}, to the [[great black-backed gull]], at {{convert|1.75|kg|lboz|0|abbr=on}} and {{convert|76|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}}. They are generally uniform in shape, with heavy bodies, long wing, and moderately long necks. The tails of all but three species are rounded; the exceptions being [[Sabine's gull]] and [[swallow-tailed gull]]s, which have forked tails, and [[Ross's gull]], which has a wedge-shaped tail. Gulls have moderately long legs, especially when compared to the similar terns, with fully webbed feet. The bill is generally heavy and slightly hooked, with the larger species having stouter bills than the smaller species. The bill colour is often yellow with a red spot for the larger white-headed species and red, dark red or black in the smaller species.<ref name = "HBW">{{cite book | vauthors = Burger A, Gochfeld M | veditors = del Hoyo J, Elliott A, Sargatal J | contribution = Family Laridae (Gulls) | title = Handbook of the Birds of the World. | volume = 3, Hoatzin to Auks | year = 1996 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0001unse/page/572 572–599] | place = Barcelona | publisher = Lynx Edicions | isbn = 978-84-87334-20-7 | title-link = Handbook of the Birds of the World }}</ref>

Gulls are a [[generalist species]] that can thrive in various environments and survive on a widely varied diet. They are the least specialised of all the seabirds, and their morphology allows for equal adeptness in swimming, flying, and walking. They are more adept walking on land than most other seabirds, and the smaller gulls tend to be more manoeuvrable while walking. The walking gait of gulls includes a slight side to side motion, something that can be exaggerated in breeding displays. In the air, they are able to hover and they are also able to take off quickly with little space.<ref name = "HBW"/>

The general pattern of [[plumage]] in adult gulls is a white body with a darker mantle; the extent to which the mantle is darker varies from pale grey to black. A few species vary in this, the [[ivory gull]] is entirely white, and some like the [[lava gull]] and [[Heermann's gull]] have partly or entirely grey bodies. The wingtips of most species are black, which improves their resistance to wear and tear, usually with a diagnostic pattern of white markings. The head of a gull may be covered by a dark hood or be entirely white. The plumage of the head varies by breeding season; in nonbreeding dark-hooded gulls, the hood is lost, sometimes leaving a single spot behind the eye, and in white-headed gulls, nonbreeding heads may have streaking.<ref name = "HBW"/>