Herring Gull: So Evil and Insolent That They Captured Almost the Entire World (18 photos)

The Herring Gull has inhabited all of Europe, Siberia, the Far East and North America. What do you think is the secret of its success? 0% empathy, 100% hatred. That's it, no hidden agenda. But the bird is so full of impudence and malice that it even arouses admiration!





Before extolling the devilish ingenuity of the winged bandit, we need to talk about the difficulties in taxonomy, otherwise we'll get a slap on the wrist from the experts in the comments. Previously, it was believed that the herring gull is one large species, the range of which occupies 2/3 of the Northern Hemisphere.



You're going without lunch, man!

But now we know that herring gulls are a group, which, according to various estimates, includes from 2 to 8 species. The original Latin name (Larus argentatus) was assigned to the European gull, which has captured the lands from Lisbon to Ukhta. We will tell you about all the herring gulls in a crowd, fortunately some of them freely interbreed with each other, and their main features are unchanged from species to species.





By the way, these beauties are also herring gulls. They are just young, in their teenage colors.

Herring gulls have been given decent dimensions by nature: a wingspan of 1.5 meters and a weight of up to 1.5 kilos. Thanks to their size and physical strength, they can give even some birds specialized in predation a beating. Seagulls also fly well, run well, stay afloat well, and can even dive a little. They are not birds, but some kind of Swiss knife!



Well, guess: is it flying, standing, or starting to swim.

And they use their multitasking to the fullest. In their natural habitat, the birds are excellent at catching fish, tracking rodents, throwing armored mollusks, crayfish, and echinoderms against rocks. If necessary, the seagull can even snack on berries and fruits. In terms of the breadth of their diet, the birds compete with humans. So it is not surprising that they liked living next to us.



And their stretched stomach allows them to hold prey longer than their body!

Seagulls already feel great everywhere: from the Arctic wastelands to the tropics. But in cities rich in free food, life becomes a fairy tale for them! Countries with access to the sea are especially “lucky”. For example, in Britain, 75% of the herring gull population has moved from the cliffs to megacities. And the birds behave as if they are the masters of the concrete jungle.



Oh, the delivery has arrived!

In the city, the seagull becomes the largest bird in the area. Even the crow is 1.5-2 times smaller than the sea occupier. This means that all the food that the sparrow or pigeon found is privatized by the seagull. Does anyone disagree with this arrangement? In this case, the seagull will remove the competitors. Into its own stomach. Small birds are one bite for it, and there is no need to hunt for lazy city pigeons!



Street showdowns that no law can stop.

Do you think that dominance among birds will quench the thirst for ultra-violence? No way, people get it too! Seagulls steal food from tables in summer cafes, drag it from shops and even from the hands of passers-by! According to surveys of UK residents in 2021-2022, 48% have been attacked by a stinging bird at least once. Moreover, in half of the cases, people were unable to protect their dinner.



A snack with your loved one...

The problem is so pressing that some grocery stores even provide food insurance! For example, in Scotland there is a sandwich shop. Its owners note that birds can take food from 30 people a day! That's why they came up with "insurance" - you pay an extra £1, and if your lunch is stolen, you are guaranteed to get a free replacement.



Have you scrolled all the way to this point? The fine is a potato!

Have you tried to fight back against this insolent chicken? Well, then you're in for a fecal bombardment! Ammunition from half-digested food will quickly put you off your appetite and make you retreat. But getting covered in bird shit is not scary. What's scary is ending up in the hospital because of an unshared bag of chips. But it does happen! With their sharp beaks, the birds will cut your forehead and crown. With their sharp claws, they'll get into your eyes.



Typical "I'll just try!"

And you'll be lucky if the seagull is alone. Most often, birds, as befits organized crime, gather in gangs. A flock of herring gulls numbers 2-3 thousand birds! To get their relatives to come to the rescue, the birds emit their famous cry. Hysterical cackling is the seagull's instinctive reaction when it spots food. Hearing the frantic cry, other seagulls immediately rush to the potential lunch spot.



Any person's mouth from December 31 to January 8.

But the most important thing is that it is extremely difficult to drive the robbers away from their nests. Most of the classic methods, such as spiking surfaces, are completely ignored by seagulls. Wide paws allow the bird to distribute the load. It experiences only slight discomfort from standing on nails. And the rest have a very short-term effect. Destroyed nests are simply rebuilt. Models in the form of ferrets and large birds of prey are ignored on the second or third day. Seagulls are not pigeons, they quickly understand what's what. Only shooting and baiting are truly effective, but shooting and scattering poison in the city center is a bad idea.



They say that standing on nails calms the nerves. But nothing will calm this bird!

Don't think that seagulls have a special attitude towards people. They hate everyone equally. Regardless of the habitat, an important addition to their diet is stolen food taken from other birds, including smaller herring gulls. And they steal eggs from other birds at any opportunity.



The little dead end doesn't stand a chance against this beast...



These crazy birds even pick on whales. What do they care about some people!

Inside the large flock, things aren't going smoothly either. Females scream and fight for the best nesting spots, males scream and fight for females. Only by the mating season does the situation stabilize a little: the birds spend more time raising their offspring, and less time constantly fighting each other for a place in the hierarchy.



An elite nest of a city gull.

Oddly enough, there is amazing harmony in the matter of raising children. Herring gulls are happy to put their ingenuity to creative use, so their nests vary greatly in size and materials: branches, grass, animal fur and even seaweed - everything is used.



In the tundra, seagulls dig holes, which they line with feathers and animal fur, as in the photo. And in more southern regions, they build on hummocks, islands and open spaces.

The male and female always build a nest together and raise their children together, too. A monogamous idyll. If you forget the fact that sometimes a male courts 2-3 females at once. But even in this case, he helps all his ladies of the heart, does not shirk his duties.



– Oh, easy prey! – Dad, it's us, your children! – Oh, sorry, I didn't recognize you...

Seagulls are great parents. To the delight of their chicks and to the misfortune of everyone around them. Now the terminator mode won't turn off until the babies fly out of the nest! Everyone the feathered sadists consider potentially dangerous will get it. For reference: large bipedal creatures fall into this category.



When you've been walking with kids for half a day and can't answer 400 questions an hour anymore.

It's good that the chayats grow relatively quickly. They hatch a month and a half after laying eggs, and after 4 days of birth they jump around the nest, returning to it only to sleep or hide from danger. The young ones take off after another month and a half. And by the end of the season, the young ones become an independent combat unit for the destruction of everything that exists!