 |
All About Seagulls |
Introduction - FAQ - Pictures - Appearances in the media - Other places of interest
We get questions about Seagulls all the time. Here are the answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Updated 20 March 2003
Are there any good books about gulls?
I have only personally seen two books about gulls, and they are both out
of print. The more scholarly book is Niko Tinbergen's The Herring
Gull's World, published by Doubleday in 1967. The other is David
Costello's The World of the Gull, published by J. B. Lippincott in
1971.
Can I keep a seagull as a pet?
Although it is an uncommon practice to keep a gull as a pet, it has been
known to happen. Some people become quite attached to a particular gull
who will come back every year for many years in a row. However, I
recommend against keeping gulls as pets, simply because they are really
meant to be free and do have a family (flock) to which they belong. It is
OK to become attached and welcome a particular gull into your environment,
but please do not cage or otherwise inprison it. It would be unfair to the
gull and also may be illegal in certain parts of the world.
How do I prevent gulls from hanging around my boat/deck/patio?
There has been great debate about the best way to do this, but so far, no
one method has been the great success people have been looking for. You
can try things like plastic owls or snakes, but the smart gull will think
you've just put out a really fun playtoy. There are some specific products
such as JUMPO that
warrant a good look. You should also check out an article in Soundings
Online. They talk about various ways to get roosting birds away from
your boat, and some of the ideas may work in the home environment as well.
How do you tell male gulls from females?
There's no easy way without direct contact with the gull. They both share
similar coloring. The only real external visible difference is, females
are usually slightly smaller than their male counterparts.
Can seagulls drink salt water?
Yes, seagulls can indeed drink both fresh and salt water. Most animals are
unable to do this, but seagulls have a special pair of glands right above
their eyes, specifically designed to flush the salt from their systems
through openings in the bill. That is why you'll see seagulls near large
bodies of water such as the Great Salk Lake where fresh water may be hard
to find.
What is the average lifespan of a seagull?
Seagulls live anywhere between 5 to 15 years depending on their
environment and predators. The average is probably closer to 7 to 10
years. Some individual gulls have been known to live over 25 years.
How long does it take a seagull egg to hatch?
Seagull eggs are laid and nested two to three at a time, and it takes
about 26 days from laying to hatching. It really depends on the gull
species. But for herring gulls, the above guideline is fairly accurate.
Do seagulls attack people?
There have been reports of seagulls attacking people. Usually, this is a
lone gull and not a group of gulls. A single bird has been known to attack
a particular individual over the course of an extended period of time, so
perhaps they also hold grudges! Generally, I do not believe that gulls are
prone to attacking people, as the reports I have heard have been few and
far between. However, any injured bird will attack anyone, so be careful
when handling them!
What do seagulls eat?
Seagulls will eat just about anything, from fish to small rodents. You can
feed them french fries and pieces of bread, and they know how to break
open clams and other shellfish to get to the good parts.
How come I never see baby gulls?
Seagulls are protective of their young, and before six months of age or
so, they continue to nest as their parents bring back food, regurgitated
for their pleasure. After reaching juvenile age, you'll see these young
gulls flying with their adult counterparts. They look similar but are
slightly smaller, with a more mottled coloring.
Where do seagulls sleep and/or live?
Seagulls usually live far from predators such as humans. You can find them
on offshore and otherwise uninhabited islands. You can also find them in
abandoned barns and other large buildings, dumping grounds, sea cliffs,
and other remote areas. Gulls are known to sometimes live many miles away
from where you see them during the day.
Do seagulls migrate?
Some gulls do migrate, especially ones in the northern parts of the world,
such as Alaska. Like other migratory birds, they go south during the
winter to where the pickins' are better. The migratory patterns vary
widely depending on where they reside in the summer, but they can travel
thousands of miles to find better food sources.