The Common Gull does not live up to its name, as it is not very common. It has quite a benign look to it, with dark eyes which are nowhere near as threatening as herring gulls or the two black-backed gulls. As usual with gulls, all the identification rules change when they are young and whether its summer or winter. This bird, found on the Rocket Pools is a adult, but in winter plumage - with a dark bank on its bill and a dusky hood

Gull identification is tricky to say the least. One good identification point is the wing tip pattern - this one has very large black wingtips with large white tips at the end. Another form of identification is the colour of the legs. However, the Common Gull has all sorts of colour changes as it grows up - this one has yellow legs, so it looks like a Yellow-legged Gull (but they have different wing tips) - confusing...

Juvenile Common Gulls have grey bills...