   #copyright

Gull

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Birds

                  iGulls
   A Silver Gull, Lakes Entrance
   A Silver Gull, Lakes Entrance
         Scientific classification

   Kingdom:  Animalia
   Phylum:   Chordata
   Class:    Aves
   Order:    Charadriiformes
   Suborder: Lari
   Family:   Laridae
             Vigors, 1825

                                   Genera

   Larus
   Rissa
   Pagophila
   Rhodostethia
   Xema
   Creagus

   Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to
   the terns (family Sternidae), auks and skimmers, and more distantly to
   the waders. Most gulls belong to the large genus Larus.

   They are in general medium to large birds, typically grey or white,
   often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout,
   longish bills and webbed feet.

   Most gulls, particularly Larus species, are ground nesting carnivores,
   which will take live food or scavenge opportunistically. The live food
   often includes crabs and small fish. Apart from the kittiwakes, gulls
   are typically coastal or inland species, rarely venturing far out to
   sea. The large species take up to four years to attain full adult
   plumage, but two years is typical for small gulls.

   Gulls — the larger species in particular — are resourceful and
   highly-intelligent birds, demonstrating complex methods of
   communication and a highly-developed social structure. Certain species
   (e.g. the Herring Gull) have exhibited tool use behaviour. Many species
   of gull have learned to co-exist successfully with man and have thrived
   in human habitats. Others rely on kleptoparasitism to get their food.

   Two terms are in common usage among gull enthusiasts for subgroupings
   of the gulls:
     * Large white-headed gulls for the 16 Herring Gull-like species from
       Great Black-backed Gull to Lesser Black-backed Gull in the
       taxonomic list below
     * White-winged gulls for the two Arctic-breeding species Iceland Gull
       and Glaucous Gull

   Hybridisation between species of gull occurs quite frequently, although
   to varying degrees depending on the species involved (see Hybridisation
   in gulls). The taxonomy of the large white-headed gulls is particularly
   complicated.

   In common usage, members of various gull species are often called sea
   gulls or seagulls. This name is used by laypeople to refer to a common
   local species or all gulls in general, and has no fixed taxonomic
   meaning.
   Gulls can be quite aggressive, taking food from a human's hand
   Enlarge
   Gulls can be quite aggressive, taking food from a human's hand

   The American Ornithologists' Union combines Sternidae, Stercorariidae,
   and Rhynchopidae as subfamilies in the family Laridae, but recent
   research (Paton et al., 2003; Thomas et al., 2004; Paton & Baker, 2006)
   indicates that this is incorrect.

   FAMILY LARIDAE
     * Genus Larus

          + Dolphin Gull, Larus scoresbii
          + Pacific Gull, Larus pacificus
          + Belcher's Gull, Larus belcheri
          + Olrog's Gull, Larus atlanticus
          + Black-tailed Gull, Larus crassirostris
          + Grey Gull, Larus modestus
          + Heermann's Gull, Larus heermanni
          + White-eyed Gull, Larus leucophthalmus
          + Sooty Gull, Larus hemprichii
          + Common Gull or Mew Gull, Larus canus
          + Audouin's Gull, Larus audouinii
          + Ring-billed Gull, Larus delawarensis
          + California Gull, Larus californicus
          + Great Black-backed Gull, Larus marinus
          + Kelp Gull, Larus dominicanus
          + Glaucous-winged Gull, Larus glaucescens
          + Western Gull, Larus occidentalis
          + Yellow-footed Gull, Larus livens
          + Glaucous Gull, Larus hyperboreus
          + Iceland Gull, Larus glaucoides
          + Thayer's Gull, Larus thayeri
          + Herring Gull, Larus argentatus
          + Heuglin's Gull, Larus heuglini
          + American Herring Gull, Larus smithsonianus
          + Yellow-legged Gull, Larus michahellis
          + Caspian Gull, Larus cachinnans
          + East Siberian Herring Gull, Larus vegae
          + Armenian Gull, Larus armenicus
          + Slaty-backed Gull, Larus schistisagus
          + Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus
          + Great Black-headed Gull, Larus ichthyaetus
          + Brown-headed Gull, Larus brunnicephalus
          + Grey-headed Gull, Larus cirrocephalus
          + Hartlaub's Gull, Larus hartlaubii
          + Silver Gull, Larus novaehollandiae
          + Red-billed Gull, Larus scopulinus
          + Black-billed Gull, Larus bulleri
          + Brown-hooded Gull, Larus maculipennis
          + Black-headed Gull, Larus ridibundus
          + Slender-billed Gull, Larus genei
          + Bonaparte's Gull, Larus philadelphia
          + Saunders' Gull, Larus saundersi
          + Andean Gull, Larus serranus
          + Mediterranean Gull, Larus melanocephalus
          + Relict Gull, Larus relictus
          + Lava Gull, Larus fuliginosus
          + Laughing Gull, Larus atricilla
          + Franklin's Gull, Larus pipixcan
          + Little Gull, Larus minutus

     * Genus Rissa

          + Kittiwake or Black-legged Kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla
          + Red-legged Kittiwake, Rissa brevirostris

     * Genus Pagophila

          + Ivory Gull, Pagophila eburnea

     * Genus Rhodostethia

          + Ross's Gull, Rhodostethia rosea

     * Genus Xema

          + Sabine's Gull, Xema sabini

     * Genus Creagrus

          + Swallow-tailed Gull, Creagrus furcatus

   The Laridae are known from fossil evidence since the Early Oligocene,
   some 30-33 mya. A fossil seagull from the Late Miocene of Cherry
   County, USA is placed in the prehistoric genus Gaviota; apart from this
   and the undescribed Early Oligocene fossil, all prehistoric species are
   at least tentatively assigned to the modern genus Larus, q.v.

Gallery

   Western Gull in Monterrey, United States

   Gull chick at Trondheim, Norway

   A Black-headed Gull in Devon, England

   The Swallow-tailed Gull, endemic inhabitant of the Galápagos Islands.

   Herring Gull on the North Devon coast, England

   A Black-tailed Gull in flight

   Silver Gull at Sale, Australia

   Great Black-backed Gull, Stornoway, Hebrides
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gull"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
