The gull

📖 In short

If you go to the seaside, you'll hear white and grey birds calling as they fly over the waves: they're gulls! The gull is a long-winged bird the size of a pigeon or bigger, living mostly near seas and oceans, and sometimes near lakes and rivers.

🤩 Did you know?

The wingspan of the great black-backed gull can be more than 1.5 meters.
The pure white ivory gull lives near the North Pole.
A gull can drink salty sea water, because it has a gland that gets rid of the extra salt.
Gulls talk with many different calls, each with its own meaning.

🔎 Find out more

🌟 Gull colors

An adult gull has a pearly grey back and white belly, and in many kinds black wingtips. Young gulls are speckled brown, and their feathers change over the years until they look like the adults'.

🔍 A skilled flier

A gull can float in the air hardly moving its wings, using the strong winds over the sea. It can also swim and float on the water to rest.

💡 It eats anything

Gulls eat fish, crabs, insects and leftover food. Some gulls carry shellfish up high, then drop them on rocks to break them open and eat what's inside!

🎯 Big colonies

Gulls build their nests together in big groups on beaches, islands and cliffs, and defend their chicks by screeching and swooping at anyone who comes near.