Fork-tailed Gull

Robert Havell after John James Audubon

National Gallery of Art

This is a painting of two birds near a body of water. The scene depicts a large bird standing atop a rock with a smaller bird to its left. The larger bird has grey and white plumage with a black ring around its neck and a yellow-tipped black beak. The smaller bird is pecking or foraging with its beak on the sandy ground. Seashells are visible on the ground. The background shows tranquil water, a distant shoreline, and a sky with soft clouds. The style is similar to that of John James Audubon.