Unveiling the Mysteries of Seagulls: Surprising Facts

 Seagulls, or more appropriately simply GS since they can live away from the sea, get their common name from their call. Originally, their name comes from this Old English word but was replaced over time with the term we know today. 

They are still known as Muse in some areas. However, the seagull family name somewhat ironically has its roots in Latin and ancient Greek and is in reference to large seabirds. Although there's lots of ruffled feathers between the terms Gull and seagull, even their scientific name alludes to their affinity for the ocean. 

There are many different seagull species with unique names. One genus name means fishing Eagle while another means lover of sea ice. There are even some with nonsense scientific names that aren't believed to mean anything. The Society Island's goal is believed to have gone extinct within the past few thousand years. Its remains were found at an archaeological site that also housed the remains of other globally extinct birds such as the great ground Dove and conquered loret.

Some GS develop dark colored feathers on their head and others don't. Those that develop dark head feathers don't sport these all year round; they're for breeding displays. Speaking of dark feathered gulls, the blackheaded gull, who actually has dark chocolate colored feathers, gets its scientific name from its call. It sounds like it's laughing. Aside from mimicking human laughter, GS also prefer to mimic what people eat. In a recent study, the Herring G was found to make the same food selections as humans when given the choice. If a human ate the food, the gulls were more than double as likely to eat it too.

While they are often known as chip-stealing bird brains, gulls are considered some of the most intelligent birds alive today. Their capacity to learn behavior from humans, such as food choice, is an easy indicator of this. In scientific terms, the gull's chip-stealing behavior is known as kleptoparasitism. 

However, this doesn't only apply to gulls and humans. Gulls will steal food from other animals, such as pelicans, and even each other. Not all gull calls sound the same; they may be calling to their chicks, calling out a warning of nearby predators, or telling other gulls this is their turf and to stay away.