Seagulls are often seen as noisy beach visitors, but these birds are far more complex than most people think. Beyond stealing snacks, seagulls show remarkable intelligence, surprising survival skills, and even cultural quirks. Let’s explore little‑known details about seagulls that reveal their hidden side.
Seagulls
Seagulls can drink both fresh and saltwater. Special glands near their eyes filter the salt from seawater.
These birds teach their young specific calls, creating vocal “dialects” that differ between colonies.
They sometimes drop hard‑shelled food, like mussels, onto rocks to crack them open with precision.
They often follow plows in fields, because they know tractors unearth worms and insects easily.
They use mobbing behavior to chase away predators, including much larger birds of prey.
Some seagulls stamp their feet on grass to mimic rainfall, which tricks worms into surfacing.
Urban seagulls learn car‑timing at traffic lights. They drop nuts on the road, then retrieve cracked shells safely.
Different species of seagulls can live for decades. Herring gulls sometimes reach more than 30 years in the wild.
These birds use a wide vocabulary of sounds. Scientists have identified more than 20 distinct calls.
They recognize human faces and may remember individuals who regularly feed or chase them away.
In Arctic regions, seagulls nest near larger birds for protection, using them as natural guards.
Small groups of seagulls sometimes cooperate during hunting, driving fish toward the shore together.
They frequently clean themselves in shallow water, showing surprisingly meticulous grooming habits.
Young gulls peck at a red spot on the parent’s bill to stimulate feeding, a rare bird behavior.
Fossil evidence suggests ancestors of seagulls thrived millions of years ago, long before modern coastlines formed.
