For many who wear them, seagull tattoos may represent home. This may stem from the fact that old-school sailors would associate the bird with land, and therefore, everything land represented to them: home, family, love, and the ultimate safe haven following weeks, months, or even years on the open seas.

The strong silhouette of the seagull captures the imagination and evokes the wonder of flight, no doubt a subject of human fascination since time immemorial.

Because they are comprised of a natural, easily recognized subject, seagull tattoos can be done in almost any style. The subject matter lends itself equally well to styles ranging from flawlessly applied photo realism to bold-and-brazen traditional to over-the-top new school, with a graffiti flare and a cartoon appeal.

Whether tattooed in vivid color, or black and gray with plenty of shading, the ubiquitous seagull is a nearly universal image that is both familiar and comforting. For anyone raised near the beach, the image is also full of nostalgia and the more simple and cherished pleasures of childhood. Seagulls may evoke sticky cotton candy, laughing on the boardwalk, splashing at the water’s edge, and quality time with friends and family.

They may also represent those sneaky but endearing beach blanket thieves who made off with lunch and then, when chased, proceeded to squawk their amusement at the whole situation.