This is a monogamous bird. They are characterized by the creation of one family for life. They are also excellent parents who tirelessly shower their little ones with care and attention. Both fathers and mothers pay attention to their children. Mother and father equally actively feed and protect the cubs until they become old enough and independent. They also build a nest together, sharing evenly the building material to build a shelter. They can drink sea water. At the same time, not many seabirds have been given such a gift. This makes gulls one of the few categories of birds that are truly endowed with unique survival abilities. The ability to drink sea water allows them to fly far into the sea in search of food, if the situation requires it. When a bird drinks salt water, a pair of glands located above its eyes allows it to remove salt from its body.
They are excellent flyers. They have great control over thermals (mass of rising air) and wind. They also know how to navigate in a direction, especially when it comes to tight turns. In the air, they can rapidly fall and take off, as well as soar and even linger in one place. As for their speed, they can fly at a speed of 48-50 km / h.
They have sharp claws to help them grasp their prey and webbed feet to help them swim both on and under water.
These birds have a very good memory. They can remember faces of specific people and places where food was hidden a few days ago. They also recognize other seagulls, both their friends and their adversaries.
Seagulls can live in the wild for up to 15 years. This long lifespan is due, in part, to the almost complete absence of predators. Among the main predators of seagulls, it is worth highlighting such large birds as eagles and kites. But they attack them very rarely due to the fact that the birds live in large colonies and will themselves willingly attack the same eagle in a bunch in order to protect themselves and the members of their flock.
In many countries of the world, this bird represents healing, wisdom and tranquility. In ancient Greece, for example, people believed that the seagull was a messenger from the Creator.