Hobbies And Interests
Taxonomy
Gulls belong to the biological family called Laridae, along with terns and auks. Most species of seagull have the scientific species name "Larus," though a few have the species name Leucophaeus. Among the most common and most widespread species is the herring gull, which the Cornell Lab of Ornithology calls "the quintessential basic 'seagull.'" The herring gull is "the characteristic gull of the north Atlantic," according to Cornell, found across north America.
Diet and Habitat
How can an animal so closely associated with the sea, as its nickname suggests, live inland? Ornithologist Wayne Hoffman told Price that gulls are "generalists that can eat all sorts of things: garbage, bugs, fish, sea stars and the young and eggs of other sea birds." They once followed commercial fishing boats and lived exclusively near the coasts, but the redirection of commercial fish wastes pushed large numbers of them to expand their habitat, explains the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Adaptation
The ease with which seagulls have learned to thrive in the human world makes them excellent examples of natural principles of ecological adaptation. Having traditionally nested on cliffs, they can easily nest on buildings, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of birds. They live at landfills in huge numbers, but they are perfectly willing to snatch scraps from streets and picnics.
Habits
Some species of gull migrate, including the Western gull, but most species are good fliers. They have long wings in relation to their bodies and they are efficient gliders, often "hanging" on air currents. They tend to be protective of their young, which sometimes brings them into conflict with humans. Young gulls are very vulnerable at first, and their parents may actually "dive bomb" perceived threats to the nest, warns the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Scientific Study
Seagulls have proven of value to scientists outside the realm of ornithology, the study of birds. Medical researchers have theorized that these long-distance fliers can help explain the movement of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and help find ways to combat these "super bugs." Science Daily reports one study by Portuguese scientists which found that such highly resistant microbes in 10 percent of their sample of gulls. In addition, ecologists use blood samples from gulls to test the lasting effects of oil spills, reports Dave Mosher for MSNBC Science.