Fun Facts on Seagulls
Seagulls are actually a common bird in the Charadriiformes family Laridae. They are also related to waders, auks and skimmers. The name Seagull is actually the name of the herring gull. They mature in 4 years and their coloring changes frequently from mottled to white to gray. They can live anywhere from 5-15 years. Some have been known to live 25 years! They are ground nesting carnivores. They lay eggs two to three at a time and it takes 26 days to hatch them. You can find them on and around oceans worldwide, except in some areas in Asia. Seagulls seek land for breeding and scavenging. They rarely venture out to sea. Male seagulls have red legs. Most seagulls live inland. Most seagulls are actually carnivores. They eat fish and crabs. They will scavenge dead animals and organic litter. They actually keep beaches clean.
Most of the world’s seagulls are born in California. Seagulls are actually very intelligent and capable of high level communication. Seagulls will grab food and bother humans. They build nests in homes. Some gulls can even be aggressive and hurt people. The droppings from seagulls present problems too. The droppings are actually full nutrient-rich waste perfect for the breeding of bacteria and other organisms that can cause disease and infections in humans. They can also infect you if they bite or scratch you! Some diseases they carry are E. coli, Cryptococossis and Histoplasmosis. The droppings are also corrosive! Some seagulls migrate and will travel for thousands of miles just to find food! Seagulls are so bad in Scotland they are actually exterminating them!
As we mentioned seagulls like seafood especially clams. However, the shells are too hard for their beaks to break so they carry the clams over rocks and drop them to crack them open! Now that’s smart! Not only have that but males had a role in bringing their young into the world. Both female and male seagulls will sit on the eggs. The female will sit for around 3-4 hours and then switch with the male who will also sit for the same length of time. The seagull who is not sitting on the nest will hunt, feed and collect materials for the nest. When the hunter returns to the nest if the existing bird will not move the hunter will push them off the nest!