Gulls
Ring-billed Gulls raiding a picnic at the beach
Gulls may be the most versatile birds in the world. In a bird triathlon—swim, run, fly—gulls would be among the favorites to win.
Ring-billed Gulls raiding a picnic at the beach
Gulls may be the most versatile birds in the world. In a bird triathlon—swim, run, fly—gulls would be among the favorites to win.
■ Gulls are notorious for eating junk—literally. They flock to open garbage dumps to scavenge food, and hang around picnic sites, fast food restaurants, fishing boats, and other such places, ready to gulp down any discarded scraps. Despite this, they are careful about what they feed their chicks. Many studies have shown that when the chicks hatch they are provided with highly nutritious natural food like crabs and fresh fish, even as their parents visit the garbage dump to feed themselves. (See also this page.)
A Herring Gull regurgitating food for its chicks
■ If you find a gull feather on the beach, it has probably been molted naturally after being used by the bird for a full year. If it’s an outer wing feather like the ones shown here, look carefully at the tip of the feather. You’ll see that the white parts of the feather tip are more worn, while the dark parts are mostly intact. Almost all gulls have dark pigment in their wing tips, and this is a common pattern across all families of birds. One reason is that melanin (the pigment responsible for black and brown colors) strengthens the feather, making it more resistant to wear and tear. The tip of the wing is crucial for flight, and also subject to more sun and abrasion, so making it a little stronger is important.
The outer wing feathers of most gulls are gray with a black-and-white pattern at the tip. A new feather (top) has intact white markings; an old feather (bottom) has lost most of the white parts.
■ What do birds do in a hurricane? Birds are able to sense barometric pressure, and when the pressure drops, indicating that a storm is imminent, their first reaction is to start eating more. Their strategy for riding out a storm is usually to stock up on food, find some shelter, and just sit and wait. Shelter for a gull might be a clump of grass or a log on a beach, which provide a little bit of protection from the wind. They will stand facing into the wind, with their head down for streamlining. As long as they have some fat reserves, there is no need for them to move.
Herring Gulls hunkering down in a storm