Red-billed Gulls came to Eagle City to spend the winter, attracting many citizens to check in, take pictures and feed them.
So, how to feed food scientifically? Will it cause harm to the red-billed gull?
What to Feed
According to Ma Zengguang, the founder of the bird-loving gull volunteer team, red-billed gulls mainly feed on aquatic animals such as small fish, shrimps, aquatic insects, crustaceans, molluscs.
Many citizens always feed bread and steamed buns to red-billed gulls. Be careful not to let good intentions lead to bad things. Because bread and steamed buns are mainly carbohydrates and have low protein content, they do not meet the feeding habits and nutritional needs of red-billed gulls and are detrimental to their health. As the number of red-billed gulls coming to our city to spend the winter increases year by year, the small fish in Baigui Lake can no longer meet the needs of red-billed gulls, so special gull food needs to be purchased for supplementary feeding. Gull food is made of fish bone meal and a variety of grains. It can provide red-billed gulls with a variety of nutrients needed to meet the needs of overwintering and migration. Even if it falls into the water, it can be eaten by small fish and is less likely to cause pollution. At the same time, it is prohibited to feed rotten food, which can easily cause red-billed gulls to contract diseases.
When to feed
"Long-term flying will consume a lot of physical energy of red-billed gulls." Ma Zengguang said that the best time to feed red-billed gulls is around 8 a.m. and around 4 p.m. A red-billed gull eats an average of 79 grams of gull food every day, but feeding cannot be excessive. Artificial feeding alone will make red-billed gulls dependent. In order to ensure that their hunting ability is not reduced, they need to catch some small fish and shrimps to exercise their physical fitness and maintain their natural habits.
How to feed
Ma Zengguang reminded that when feeding gull food, just throw three or five grains into the air at a time. Within 2 seconds of the gull food falling, it can be quickly picked up by the red-billed gull. If too much gull food is thrown into the air, the red-billed gulls will be overwhelmed, resulting in waste.
Zhang Lifeng, director of the Baiguishan Wetland Provincial Nature Reserve Management Center, advised citizens to feed the gulls in a civilized and scientific manner, and to keep a certain distance from the red-billed gulls to avoid the spread of zoonotic diseases. It also allows them to maintain a certain degree of vigilance towards humans to avoid being easily hunted. In addition, it is recommended that citizens feed food in small amounts and multiple times, and mainly throw food into the air to reduce food waste and environmental pollution. The harmony between humans and wild animals lies in observing from a distance rather than inbreeding. Natural feeding and habitat are their best destinations.
Source: Pingdingshan Daily
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