Have you ever seen a baby seagull? Are baby seagulls cute? Well, yes and no, kind of
I know you are curious about these creatures, which is why you are here in the first instance. Welcome to the beautiful world of seagulls!
A baby seagull is an adorable-looking creature, and you would be forgiven for not being able to tell the difference between them and adult seagulls.
In this article, I will answer the many questions surrounding baby seagulls. Is it possible to raise a baby seagull from hatching? What do baby seagulls eat? How big do they grow? How hard is it to make their nests? And finally, could there be a connection between seagulls and Jesus Christ?!
Baby seagulls are ridiculously cute and fluffy, which attracts tourists to the streets of coastal towns in the autumn to take photos of them. These little guys are so cute you will want to run out and buy a boat or find a gull colony nearby for an ideal photo op.
Their looks depend on the species, as there are 54 species, but most seagull chicks are covered in a soft speckled or mottled brown down. You can sometimes find this down in patches rather than completely covering their bodies.
- Herring gull
- Lesser black-backed gull
- Great black-backed gull
- Common gull
- Black-headed gull – summer
- Kittiwake
- Black-headed gull – winter
- Mediterranean gull
- Iceland gull
- Glaucous gull
- Yellow-legged gull
- Little gull
- Pacific gull
- Belcher’s gull
- Olrog’s gull
- Black-tailed gull
- Heermann’s gull
- Short-billed gull
- Ring-billed gull
- Kelp gull
- Glaucous-winged gull
- Iceland gull
- European herring
- Thayer’s gull
- Kumlien’s gull
- Caspian gull
- American herring gull
- Armenian gull
- East Siberian herring gull
- Yellow-legged gull
- Slaty-backed gull
- Heuglin’s gull
- White-eyed gull
- Audouin’s gull
- Sooty gull
- Relict gull
- Franklin’s gull
- Laughing gull
- Dolphin gull
- Gray gull
- Lava gull
- Silver gull
- Hartlaub’s gull
- Huahine gull
- Red-billed gull
- Ross’s gull
- Ivory gull
- Sabine’s gull
- Swallow-tailed gull
- Slender-billed gull
- Saunders’s gull
- Bonaparte’s gull
- Grey-headed gull
- Brown-headed gull
The average weight of baby gulls can vary depending on the species, but for most medium and large species, you can expect to find an average five-day-old baby weighing around 50 grams.
While weighing baby seagulls might seem puzzling, scientists have reasons for not considering them regularly. Seagulls suffer from stress if held and weighed for any time, which adversely affects their health.
Weighing the birds five days after hatching is more accurate. At this age, the chicks are more likely to be active and more settled in their surroundings.
Baby seagulls are called gull chicks and are not officially known as seagulls. Baby seagulls have no specific name, as they are all a part of the over 50 species of gulls that mostly live close to the sea and have become collectively known as seagulls.
Do not be fooled by their juvenile plumage – in just four years, young seagulls will mature into fully-fledged adults. Silly seagulls are distinct from other gulls in that they still have brown feathers, but they also display lots of downy fluff.
Juvenile seagulls cannot fly until they are about a year old since it takes that long for their plumage to develop and become fully grown. They have large, powerful beaks and mottled brown or grey feathers, which stand out in contrast to the white underbelly and the black trailing edge of their wings.
Juvenile seagulls may not be identifiable as gulls to the untrained eye, as they do not display any of the iconic characteristics that come with adult seagulls.
Although juveniles feature the characteristic yellow feet of all Larus species when hatching from the egg, their downy bodies are often mottled grey or brown. Their beaks can vary in color from orange-red to bright yellow, depending on the area of the bird’s diet.
A juvenile gull is a plumage than a gull assumes after its first molt, while the bird is still young. After hatching from eggs to a downy chick, a seagull will enter its first year of life as a juvenile.
Their bodies are covered with feathers called ‘fugitive down, which helps protect them from the elements and camouflages them from any potential predators.
The feathers have many functions, including helping to stabilize the body temperature of the hatching chick, insulating from cold winds, and trapping heat from the sun.
It can be challenging to tell baby seagulls apart from their adult counterparts from a distance. They look alike, they sound alike, and they act alike. However, a closer inspection reveals several key differences in the appearance of baby seagulls and adult seagulls.
Here are some of the key ways in which baby seagulls differ from adult seagulls:
Baby seagulls are much smaller than their parents, with fully grown birds usually measuring 76 centimeters (12 inches) long. Compare this to adult seagulls, which are much more significant.
An average adult gull is about 30 centimeters (30 inches) long, although other species of gulls can grow to be much more significant.
Baby gulls share the same black-and-white coloring as adults but have fewer striking markings.
The black feathers on baby gulls tend to have a brownish tinge to them, and their white feathers appear more pale or grey than those of adults. This is because baby gulls have not yet had time to wear down their feathers, constantly flying the way adults do.
In many cases, the biggest clue is in the feather coloration. As they age, gull feathers can get so worn down that they look entirely gray.
That makes it difficult for a layperson to differentiate between an adult and a baby seagull. Still, if you are trying to determine whether a gull on your roof will become dinner for your dog or not, this is valuable information!
To identify if it is an adult or a baby seagull you are dealing with, follow these steps:
Evaluate the bird’s head. Baby gulls have blackheads with white dots (called “guano”), while adults have whiteheads and black spots around their eyes. Examine the eyes. If they are dark, then you are dealing with an adult gull.
If they are deep brown, then you have gotten yourself a teenage seagull. Check out their legs. Are they skinny? Then that means it is a baby seagull – its feather coloration will change as it gets older and its body size increases.
Newly hatched baby seagulls are known as ‘chicks,’ They rely on their parents to find food. Chicks feed on anything their parents feed them, usually a mix of seafood, plants, and small animals.
To feed these chicks, seagull parents regurgitate partly digested food from their stomachs, passing it to the chicks through their mouths.
In times of feast, gulls consume more significant quantities of fish. In times of famine, they may eat insects, shellfish, mollusks, and crustaceans.
They may even eat prey as large as small mammals, fish, or birds on rare occasions. Seagulls tend to be opportunistic feeders: what happens around them determines what they eat that day.
Seagulls are very protective parents, and they work together to feed the chicks. After the chick hatch, both parent gulls will bring food to their young.
Seagull parents typically feed their chicks small fish, clams, and crustaceans that can be broken up into smaller pieces. New research showed that seagulls prefer human food (1).
You have never seen baby seagulls at the beach because if you can see them, then predators can see them too, and they will not last long. But baby seagulls grow extremely fast and are usually big and strong enough to leave the nest at only a few weeks old. (“What time of year do seagulls lay their eggs? – LAC”)
While most birds grow outside the nest, many do not leave their original colony until they are anywhere from 6 to 24 months old.
Ever heard the story of the seagull miracle? In 1848, crickets attacked the crops planted by the struggling pioneer of Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, but seagulls swooped down and ate all the crickets.
In honor of that miracle, two statues of seagulls were erected in front of the temple. So, seagulls did the work of God!
- Seagulls are intelligent and very clever. These creatures learn, remember, and pass on behaviors. Its intelligence is demonstrated by its different feeding behaviors, such as dropping mollusks onto rock so they can break open and eat them.
- They have advanced and complex repertoire for communication
- They are very caring and attentive parents, as both males and females take turn feeding and protecting the chicks and even incubating eggs
- Seagulls drink both salt and fresh water. Not all animals can do this
- Seagulls have a small claw halfway up the lower leg, which allow them to sit and settle on high ledges without being whizzed away
- Seagull chicks form nursery flocks to play and learn vital skills from the adult
- In native American symbolism, seagulls represent versatility, freedom, and a carefree attitude
- In Utah, seagulls are always remembered for helping Mormon settlers deal with cricket plague
- Most seagulls know how to preserve energy by flying over bridge to absorb raising warmth from paved roadways
Both father and mother of baby seagulls feed them. The parents regurgitate food for them or provide them with scraps. The food they eat highly depends on what their parents have caught.
If a situation arises that you need to feed a baby seagull, you can provide it with tuna, tinned sardine, etc.
Yes, baby seagulls can eat dog or cat food, but you need to make the food wet. However, if the parents are feeding them, you do not need to provide them again. If you found an abandoned baby, seek advice from your local wildlife rehabilitation centers.
The easiest way to distinguish a fledgling from a juvenile is to look at feathers. On beginners, some feathers are mottled, while juveniles are solid in color.
Chicks will have fluffy down to their toes, while fledglings will develop deep brown pin feathers close to their legs and feet. Both chicks and fledglings are adorable, so it is usually best to leave them alone if you are not sure.
They can be curious creatures. Sometimes, they are wary of humans.
Seagulls do not tolerate other chick gulls. So, it can be dangerous if you put it in the wrong nest unless you are sure you are putting it in the right nest. Just place it in a shed roof or short extension room to keep it out of the reach of predators. Its parents find it and feed it.
Based on species, gulls will start to fly around six to eight weeks old.
If a seagull has its nest in your garden, you cannot remove it without consulting the council for a license. But to keep them away from your garden is to keep it clear of rubbish and secure your bins to prevent gulls from seeing your property as a feasting ground.
If gulls see you as a threat to their baby, they will attack you. So, do not provoke them to prevent them from being aggressive towards you.
Weasels and foxes are the predators. However, some cats also eat them.
So, you have thought about living with a baby seagull, but you are overwhelmed by the decision. Well, we have answered all your questions here.
These little guys are adorable, and making them part of your home environment is relatively easy!