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Gull, gannet... what's the difference?
Well, in mammalian terms, it's roughly like confusing a bat with a zebra, or a human with a colugo, or a pangolin with a weasel. In terms of genetic and evolutionary distance, I mean.
Gulls, terns and skimmers all belong to the family Laridae, in the order Charadriiformes which also contains snipe, thicknees, oystercatchers, plovers and avocets. Oh, and puffins and guillemots and skua.
The gannets are in an entirely different order, the Pelecaniformes (which includes anhingas, frigatebirds, and cormorants), within which they share the family Sulidae with the boobies. I leave you to find your own picture to illustrate the latter genus. Hint: don't use Google image search if you're at work. Or even if you're not.
Johnson, Vermont is the home of the Vermont Studio Center where I am periodically resident to advise aspiring young artists.