seagull Why follow the ship to fly?
Seagull is a general term for gulls. On the coast of China, we can see common seagulls, black-tailed gull , silver gull and other species. Gulls have strong flying ability, with a streamlined body and long and narrow wings. They are known as free pilots.
Anyone who has ever sailed at sea knows that seagulls like to fly with ships. They follow the stern of the ship, chasing the waves, flying up and down. This behavior of seagulls provides a lot of convenience for seagull observation and shooting at sea, but it also makes people confused. Why are seagulls like this? Are they too lonely to fly in the endless sea for a long time, and they like to be company with people, or are they naturally playful and like chasing waves?
In fact, gulls like to fly with ships, which is related to their foraging habits. Seagulls mainly feed on small fishes, which usually live in the middle and lower layers of the ocean and require diving to catch them. Unfortunately, gulls are not good at diving, so they choose to fly behind the ship. When the ship passes by, the propeller will stun some small fish and float to the surface. As long as the seagulls follow the ship, they can easily catch food. In addition to picking up fish from behind the ship, gulls have also developed a variety of foraging methods. For example, red-headed gull will work with pelicans, cormorants and other birds to prey on fish and invertebrates driven to the surface by diving birds, while black-headed gulls will be caught by fishermen. Looking for food in the mudflats that have been turned over. In addition to the above-mentioned predation methods, large silver gulls also forage in large garbage dumps, or prey on puffins and other small seabirds’ eggs, chicks, and food like skua... Strong adaptability has made gulls the winner of natural competition. Except for Antarctica and inland Africa, there are numerous gulls on other continents.
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