Where do Sea Gulls Go in Winter?

Several week ago while on a 3-mile walk with one of my client’s dogs I heard them, Seagulls. Hmm they’re back! I wondered if they like other birds and some people head for warmer weather the winter so being the curious critter person I am I had to find out. In answer to my editor’s question and mine, they do migrate. Here in Door County the most common seagull you will see is the Herring Gull. Here is some other interesting facts I found:

• Seagulls belong to the family of Laridae.
• The Laridae family contains about 88 different species of birds, and 54 of them are gulls.
• They are found worldwide except in tropical deserts, jungles and on some central Pacific islands.
• They are a migratory bird.
• All gulls are about the same shape and size with varied coloration.
• Male and females are colored the same; the only difference is the males are slightly larger.
• Size ranges from 11-32 inches.
• The largest gull is the Great Black-Backed, with a wing span of about 63 inches.
• The smallest is the Little Gull which is about the size of a pigeon, with a wing span of about 24inches.
• The larger species can take up to 4 years to attain full adult plumage.
• They have webbed feet and hooked bills.
• They swim well on the surface of the water but can not swim under water or dive.
• The most widespread and familiar gull is the Herring gull, commonly call the seagull.
• The Herring gull hunt, migrate and feed together, they are social birds.
• The Herring gull is 25 inches long with a wing span of about 60 inches.
• The Herring gull in captivity hold the recorded for longevity, 44 years and in the wild 36 years.
• Gulls usually raise 2-3 young at a time.
• The gull is best known as scavengers, found in large noisy flocks around garbage dump, parking lots, fishing boats, picnic grounds and in freshly turn fields, where ever food is available.
• Gulls are opportunist and will eat just about anything like, insects, worms, fish, the eggs and young of other species, grubs, carrion, and garbage.
• In the fields they eat large amounts of destructive pests like grasshoppers and mice.
• Some gulls rely on kleptoparasitism (stealing) to get their food. An example is the Adult Laughing gulls who steal food from young brown Pelicans.
• Breeding start between the ages of 3 to 7.
• They can nest on cliff ledges, hollow scrape on the ground to the unwanted rooftops. Preferably nesting on islands where there are usually no predators.
• Parents take turns sitting on the eggs, for about 20-30 days.
• Nesting gulls area very protective.
• Gulls usually raise 2-3 young at a time.
• The hatched chicks are fully covered in down and fed by both parents.
• If a nest is abandoned or a parent is killed, other gulls will take over caring for the chicks left behind.
• Laughing Gulls nest in colonies as large as 25,000 pairs.
• Ring-billed Gulls “play” by dropping objects while in flight, then swooping down to catch them. This playful behavior may be practice for catching and retrieving prey.
• Western Gulls will sometimes follow seals, sea lions or dolphins to join large feeding groups (including other sea birds such as pelicans, cormorants, murres). They feed on squid and fish that are forced to the surface by the mammals. They will dive into water or scoop with their beaks if sitting on the water’s surface.
• Black-backed Gulls feed in small groups (usually pairs) over foraging blue fin tuna, eating fish and squid that are forced to the surface by the tuna.[1]
• The State bird of
  Utah is the California Gull.
• Seagulls of
  Utah migrate to the Pacific
  Coast.
• Europe gulls spend time together segregated by age and locations. 

Photos: [top to bottom] – #1, Kritter Girl photo; photo below: Fiddlers Green photo.

Sources
http://www.flyingmobiles.com/html/mobiles/bd07.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seagullshttp://www.swamphen.net/birds/lists/usa/wi.htm
For More Information
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/stcroix/laridae.htmhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/urbanbirds/BirdGuide/ubs_GUPGuideHerringGullSP.htmlhttp://www.imperial.edu/birds/h-gull.htmhttp://weaselhead.org/profile/index.php?s=141

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[1] http://www.flyingmobiles.com/html/mobiles/bd07.htm 

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