Yellow-legged gull
Larus michahellis
The gull that follows the ferry and tries to snatch your simit is most likely a yellow-legged gull.
| Size | 52–68 cm |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 120–155 cm |
| Weight | 750–1550 g |
| Diet | Fish, sea creatures, leftover food |
| Eggs | 2–3 |
| Where to see it | All coasts, big lakes, cities; all year |
An adult gull has a light gray back and black-and-white spotted wing tips. It gets its name from its yellow legs. It also has a red dot on its lower beak, and I'll get to that in a moment.
Gulls are much smarter than you think. They drop mussels onto rocks from above to break them. They learn when people eat. Some of them wait at the pier as if they knew the ferry schedule.
That red dot is a button for the chicks. When the chick pecks the dot, the mother or father brings up food and gives it.
If you see a brown speckled gull, don't think it's another species. It's a young gull. It can take four years to get its adult feathers.
They can drink sea water too. Glands above their eyes get rid of the extra salt. The water dripping from the tip of their beaks is that salty liquid.
To draw it in DrawBird
Follow the gull lesson. Make the wings long and light gray, and paint the tips black. Let the legs be yellow and the dot on the beak red.
Drawing lesson: How to draw a gull →
Other birds
- Hooded crow
If you see a black crow wearing a gray vest, that's a hooded crow. And one of the smartest… - Eurasian magpie
A black-and-white bird with a very long tail that is always chattering "chak-chak". Look c… - Rock dove
The ancestor of the pigeons waiting for food in the square is the rock dove. It still live…