Western Gull

Eagles were not the only crab-eaters along the Ocean Shores Beach on 29 January 2022. As with the eagles, gulls are opportunistic eaters, consuming almost anything edible that they encounter. My guess is that this bird is a Western Gull. Note the relatively dark back, robust bill, and black, white-tipped flight feathers. Beware, however, that in western Washington, Western and Glaucous-winged Gulls hybridize, thus few genetically pure individuals inhabit the region.