It would be difficult to imagine lakes or seas without seagulls. These birds live wherever they can catch other aquatic inhabitants or collect garbage. The seagull is an aggressive and quarrelsome bird. Such a bird is used to living in a large group and constantly fights for a better place or food base.
In Russian, the word "seagull" has been used since the 18th century. The more ancient form of "tea" was found in the annals, for example, in "The Lay of Igor's Host." It is not known exactly where this name of the bird came from, but etymologists suggest that this is due to the cry of a seagull, which is interpreted as "kiai".
Bird watchers were able to identify 44 species of gulls. The largest such bird has a wingspan of 1.5 meters, and the smallest one - 0.5 meters.
1. The body weight of seagulls is not very large: on average, it ranges from 240 to 400 grams. The body of such a feathered slender.
2. The common gull flies in small flocks, and their flight is in the form of a triangle.
3. Sea gulls are wonderful swimmers and can even fall asleep on the water.
4. Due to the presence of a special gland on the seagull, such a bird is able to drink salt water. This gland is located above the bird's eyes, and it cleans the seagull's blood from salt, which the gland removes through the nostrils.
5. Seagulls are able to attack people in flocks, protecting their own space. The United States of America even has instructions for postmen on what to do when these birds attack.
6. In certain areas, 70% of the diet of gulls is fishing waste.
7. The black-headed gull can break eggs in its own and neighboring clutches if it notices a person while laying them or in the first days of incubation.
8. In Salt Lake City there is a 50-meter column of granite, with 2 bronze birds on the globe. In this way, they tried to perpetuate the memory of the California gull, which symbolized the state of Utah and saved farmers' crops from locusts in the middle of the 19th century.
9. In 2011, the Paris Mint placed Audouin's seagull on a 50 euro gold coin, a fairly rare bird that lives on some Mediterranean islands.
10. Sea gulls have swimming membranes, due to which a bird of this type moves well in the water, but such birds were not attributed to the ocean species.
11. Recently, seagulls are considered "scavengers" and serious competitors to crows that live in the territory of consumer and industrial waste.
12. The smallest member of the family is a small gull, its weight averages 100-150 grams. The largest gull is the sea gull. The weight of such an adult often exceeds 2 kilograms.
13. Seagulls have no social relations with their relatives. They not only sometimes eat gulls of other species, but also occasionally engage in cannibalism.
14. When a seagull hunts for fish, it can dive under the water entirely with its head.
15. Of all the varieties of gulls, the California gull has become the smartest. Unlike other subspecies, such a gull nests on the mainland, in an area remote from the ocean. The way of life of such a bird led to the fact that Mormons began to worship the California gull like the divine incarnation of Elohim.
16. At the time of flight, the seagull reaches a speed of 110 km / h.
17. Colonies with gulls often become mixed. They willingly nest nearby with herons, cormorants, wild ducks and other bird species.
18. Seagulls are intelligent and curious birds that are able to play games, steal prey from other birds, as well as chase other animals and even take advantage of people.
19. Until the age of 4, the sea gull has gray feathers, after which it begins to turn white.
20. A seagull needs a large amount of food for a comfortable life - at least 400 grams per day for an adult.
21. Nothing bad will happen if one clutch of a seagull dies. In such a situation, the female instantly lays several more eggs. This process can be repeated in gulls up to 4 times.
22. By the behavior of these birds, sailors were able to learn how to determine the proximity of a storm. If a seagull sits on a mast or on the water, then there is no need to be afraid of a storm.
23. In Hitchcock's The Birds, American Herring Gulls were portrayed as winged, stubborn pursuers of man. But, as it turned out, this plot was not invented. As a result of violent attacks by European herring gulls, caused by the fact that people entered the bird's territory, the person suffered serious head injuries, which in several cases led to death.
24. The seagull has a useful adaptation. The wings of this bird have a higher ratio of width to length in comparison with the shorter wings of other birds, which allows the seagull to make easy maneuvers.
25. Adult gulls have distinctive spots on their beaks that have become visual reference points for their chicks. In order to convince adults to regurgitate their food, chicks have to peck at these marks.
26. Gulls have the ability to build nests almost anywhere and from any material. They can build a nest from grass, feathers, twigs, scraps of nets, cans and other debris.
27. Many gulls overwinter in the Black or Caspian Seas, and some migrate to the North or Mediterranean Sea. They can also migrate to African states, Japan, and China.
28. In many cultures, the seagull was considered a symbol of versatility, freedom and a carefree way of life. In Celtic and Irish mythology, Manannan Mac Lear was a deceiver and god of the sea, and was often depicted as a seagull.
29. Seagulls face many of the threats common to seabirds, such as oil pollution, tangled lines and plastic spills. One-legged seagulls are not uncommon, and while these birds adapt easily to this kind of injury, conscientious gull lovers take steps to protect such unique and adorable birds.
30. If, while incubating or feeding chicks, the gull sees danger, then a commotion will cover the entire colony of birds. The seagulls will then fly up into the air, start twisting over the troublemaker and shrieking.
