Seagulls

There was a little stream of fresh water spilling down a cliff and making its way
into the ocean. These birds were getting drinks from it. Probably the most common birds you will see in the Intertidal Zone are the gulls. In this picture, there are two different kinds of gulls. The bird closest to us is the Herring Gull. It has pink legs, a white head and chest, gray back, and a dark brown and white tail. See the red spot on the beak? When Herring Gull babies are hungry, they peck-peck-peck at the red spot. Then the parents know to feed the chicks. The gull in the middle is a Heermann’s Gull. It has a red beak and black legs. It changes color gradually from white to gray to dark grayish brown. The dark gray bird in the back is a young or juvenile Heermann’s Gull. Gulls will eat just about anything they can get into their beaks. They are omnivores. Do you remember what that means? Yes, they will eat things like berries, but also animals. They make nests out of sea grass and lay two or three eggs. Do they have skinny toes or webbed feet like a duck? Yes, webbed feet help them paddle through the water and stay on top of the sand. Sailors on the ocean know they are nearing land when they start to spot gulls flying in the air.


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