Mew Gull
Larus canus
Morphology 3
Mew gulls have an average length of 40 cm (1.3 ft.), with slender, yellowish-green legs and webbed feet. Male and Female gulls have a similar appearance, although males usually are a bit larger. They have gray wings and back with a plain white head and a greenish-yellow bill. The wingspan is usually around 119 to 122 cm (47 to 48 in.). Young gulls plummage is brown and spotted with tan; their beak is dark with a pink undertone. They will not develop adult coloration until about 27 months. (Felix, 1998; Del Hoya, 1996)
Trophic strategy 4
Mew gulls can be quite opportunistic, which certainly contributes to their adeptness at survival and their great abundance. As an example, the Mew gull, when it is able to get a clam or muscle, will fly over and drop the creature repeatedly on a hard surface until the shell gives way and cracks open. However the Mew gulls food of choice is almost always fish or seafood, which it will catch by dipping down into the water, or simply floating above and waiting for the fish. Worms, insects, mice, berries and grains from farmlands also make up the wide spectrum of food gulls will consume. Many times when food is scarce, gulls will resort to cannibalism, eating a large number of hatchlings and younger birds, which in many gull colonies leads to a high infant mortality rate.
Foods eaten include: cod, herring, worms, insects, berries, grains, crustaceans, clams, mussels and young sea birds.
(Time Life, 1976; Bent, 1963; Harrison, 1983)
Uses 5
Mew Gulls, along with many other types of gulls, have helped to keep beaches a bit cleaner due to their scavenging nature. This in effect, cuts the cost of maintenance of beaches. (Time Life, 1976)
Sources and Credits
- (c) Kari Pihlaviita, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/42267636@N08/5929812532
- (c) Billy Lindblom, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4735691964_91ab415ce2.jpg
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31400747
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31400751
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31400754
More Info
Range Map
iNaturalist.ca Map
| Animal | Bird |
|---|---|
| Bird | Gulls (Laridae), Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) |
| Color | black, grey, white |
