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Gulls
& Terns
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Habitat:Stream and river banks in the Tabonuco, Palm
and Palo Colorado forest types.
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Discription: Depending on the species, adults about
11-30" (27.9-76.2 cm) long. Large, mainly white
water birds with slightly hooked bill, long pointed
wings, usually short fan-shaped tail, and webbed feet.
swim and feed at water surface. Color mainly white with
no brown plumage, head feathers vary seasonally from
dirty white/brown to pure white/black, and tail whitish
with no dark bars. Immature gulls often dirty white
to brown.
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Wingspan: 3 to 4 feet
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Weight: 2 to 3 pounds
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Diet: Shellfish, invertebrates, fish, carrion
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Although they love to fish, Sea gulls have long been associated with ocean coasts. However, several
species have extended their ranges significantly inland, with landfills
and agricultural development being the attractions. Sea gulls are
mainly nuisance pests around harbors, landfills, agricultural areas,
and when begging for food. In addition, they foul residential and
commercial buildings and public areas with their smelly droppings,
and they account for 50% of documented aircraft-bird strikes. Sea
gulls are worldwide in distribution, but are found mainly around sea
coasts and large inland waterways. The Kelp or Dominican gull lives
on the Antarctic Peninsula and at most sub-Antarctic islands, where
it is resident year-round, generally in small numbers. They are also
broadly distributed throughout southern Africa, Australasia and South
America. A subspecies of the Kelp gull (Larus dominicanus vetula)
is found along the southern African coastline. It is now considered
sufficiently different from the principal race to be regarded as a
separate species.
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| Bird rescue & bird adoption;
parrot refuge/rescue & placement for unwanted birds. |
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| Check out our list of local
birds broken down by your state and different types of
species. |
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| Migrating birds stay on track
because of chemical reactions in their bodies that are
influenced by the Earth's magnetic field... |
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Part
I
March
3, 2006