Characteristics and living habits of seagulls (harbour cleaner)

Seagulls are the most common seabirds. Even when people mention seabirds, they will naturally think of seagulls first. At the seaside, in the harbor, and on the fishing grounds rich in fish and shrimp, flocks of seagulls are jumping for joy. Some of them are floating leisurely on the water, some are swimming and looking for food, some are flying at low altitude, and some... Occasionally, I saw two seagulls suddenly shooting towards the sea like arrows from the string, and then immediately took off again, fighting each other for a fish. Generally speaking, where there are seagulls, there will be fish. Wherever the boat casts a net to catch fish, there will be seagulls.

Li Bai, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty, said in a poem: "All birds gather in Rongke". Of course, seagulls also like to gather in sea areas where food is abundant. Therefore, wherever large flocks of seagulls are found, the waters must be teeming with life. Fish leap in the blue sea, and gulls fly in the blue sky, making the rich ocean full of vitality.

In addition to eating fish, shrimp, crabs, and shells, seagulls also like to pick up the leftovers discarded by people on ships, so seagulls are also nicknamed "harbour cleaners". They are almost a common sight around ports, docks, bays and ships. There will also be seagulls following the ship's route. Even walking on the beach at low tide will startle a flock of gulls.

In summer, seagulls fly to their breeding grounds. They build dish-shaped nests with dead grass, branches, feathers, seaweed, etc. in the crevices or pits of the island's rocks, in the weeds of the grass, and in the bushes. In some places, the density of bird nests is very high, with two nests being 1 to 2 meters apart. Each parent bird has designated its own "sphere of influence" and does not allow other birds to invade, so it is inevitable that "neighbors" will often quarrel.

Seagulls are very good at returning home, and both males and females can return to the nests they built the previous year. Each nest lays 2-4 eggs, and both parents incubate the eggs. The chicks hatch in about 25 days. After 40 days, the chicks fly to the sea and begin to live independently.

animal tags： seagull seabird