Gull - Sierra Club BC
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Gull

CAN BE FOUND IN:

Gull

Larinae 

Appearance

Gulls are relatively large birds, characterized by grey or white plumage, often with black marks on their heads and wings. 

Gulls range significantly in size and weight. The smallest gulls typically weigh 120 grams, while the largest gulls — Great Black-Backed gulls — often weigh 1.75 kg. That's nearly 15 times as much! Gulls have long wings and legs and heavy bodies compared to most birds. Gulls also have tails, which are either rounded, wedged, or forked ends depending on the species. Their bills are also quite heavy, thick, and often slightly hooked. 

Range & Habitat

Why do seagulls fly over the sea? Because if they flew over the bay they’d be bagels (bay-gulls)! 

Gulls are found throughout the world, across saltwater, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats. In B.C., there are over 8 species of gulls. Gulls are migratory, which means they change locations between the summer and winter months. 

Reciprocal Relationships

Most gulls are omnivores and consume just about anything they can! This includes plants such as berries or seeds, as well as other smaller mammals, amphibians, birds and reptiles. Gulls also scavenge for food and can often be found near dumps and waste facilities.  

Gulls keep the same mate throughout their lifetime. Gulls also breed in colonies of up to a hundred thousand pairs and return to the same colony to breed in different years. Gulls are primarily eaten by larger birds of prey. For example, eagles and falcons frequently prey on common gulls. Foxes and other land predators may also hunt gulls. 

Status

COSEWIC: Depends on Species 
CDC: Depends on Species 

More Information

Gulls are very smart. One trick they use is to stamp their feet on the ground so that earthworms think it is raining and come out of the earth. Then, gulls gobble them up.

If you belong to a First Nation with a story or piece of information not represented here and you would like to share more about this species, please email us at education@sierraclub.bc.ca

Photo Credit

Canva

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