| Gulls (also known as Sea Gulls/Seagulls) are some of the most intelligent birds and they typically live on the coastline without straying far from the sea. They belong to the bird family of Laridae, distant relatives of the more commonly known Skimmers, Terns and Auks. The genus Larus is one of the largest and can be found in different parts of the world.
Gulls exhibit a social structure that is highly developed and they demonstrate intelligent communication methods and in some cases also show forms of tool-using characteristics. They have also learned to peacefully coexist in human habitats. Relatively large birds with wing spans extending from 29 centimetres up to 76 centimetres for the Great Black Backed Gulls, the larger species can take up to 4 years to reach maturity at which age their wings have fully plumaged.
Gulls are either grey or white in colour, with their feet webbed and their bills notably long. They are carnivores that nest on the ground, scavenging for food opportunistically, occasionally taking live food especially in the form of small fish and crabs. Bird researchers commonly sub-group Gulls into two main categories, that is, white winged Gulls and large white headed Gulls. The latter include the Black Backed Gulls and the Herring Gulls while the former includes the Iceland and Glaucous Gulls both of which are Arctic breeders.
On the Internet, Gull lovers have come up with blogs and websites that aim to protect the rights of these well loved birds. With the rising sea line, human encroachment and the risks of global warming that threatens their habitat, Gulls need to be looked out for. |
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