Seagulls prefer Papa John's pizzas to cod nowadays.
Much of the birds' success in cities is due to their long lives, which allows the birds to build up an extensive memory of where and how to find food. Unlike garden songbirds (which generally live 3-5 years), gulls can live decades and accumulate valuable experience. The oldest bird studied by Rock was a lesser black-backed gull fitted with a leg ring on a rooftop close to Bristol Bridge in 1989, which lived for 28 years. The gull decided to stay for his final days in the sunshine near Malaga, in Spain, laughs Rock. The European record for lesser black-backed gulls is 34 years of age.
The benefit of this long life, is that older gulls know all the tricks. "A wise gull knows everything about food within its home range," says Rock. The venerable lesser black-backed gull he had been following had frequented the Gloucester landfill for many years and when the landfill shut he found other means.
"The gulls are smart. It is hard to catch them. Once you do, catching them again is even harder," says Lesley Thorne, a seabird ecologist
BBC
"The gulls are smart. It is hard to catch them. Once you do, catching them again is even harder," says Lesley Thorne, a seabird ecologist
ReplyDeleteThey should hire this guy.
Catching PIGEONS with Fishing Net!
Still, they got nothing on the rats.
ReplyDeleteHere in Australia seagulls have the best lives they just hang out at the beach and cricket ovals and eat hot chips, I sometimes wish I was a seagull.
ReplyDelete