How Nature Works: Gull Territoriality

How can aggressive, predatory, and cannibalistic birds coexist in crowded breeding colonies? Explore the lives and territorial interactions of Herring and Great Black-backed gulls in a breeding colony on Maine's Appledore Island.
#birds #birdwatching #nature

[@i6tir]

Here I am, at 6 AM, learning how to speak seagull...

[@kafekoppen5358]

Same

[@booboobanks5817]

Me too! 😂

[@josepharturi5442]

3:36 A.M. for me and latter I`m going to eavesdrop on a bird convo!

[@d0ntw0rryb0ut1t]

Mai mai mai mai mai mai!!

[@herauthon]

lesson 1: Breed breed breed... brraaawwl..bree.brr.aawl

[@Dave-vf5qj]

Seagulls are beyond amazing. I live in a city. The same gull has been visiting me for 9 years. She knows me, I know her. She knocks my window. She trust me enough I can go outside and sit with her. She is the best !

[@enpasionarte]

❤

[@marmantole]

Do you feed her? Why does she come see you?

[@likira111]

Gulls attack baby "Keeps violence at a minimum"

[@charliepittman7804]

Seagulls are underrated. I love these crazy ass birds

[@AsgerAndersenAA]

2:00 - the long call (threat directed at trespassers) 2:15 - the mew (call in your mate to help threat trespassers) 2:25 - the kek kek & the yeow (the colony is disturbed and boundary disputes)

[@hamzasheikh2024]

No one asked

[@hamzasheikh2024]

@@EnPee91 butch I said I don’t care about his comment I didn’t say u didn’t like the vid dumbas

[@DiamondDovesArt]

@@hamzasheikh2024 Nobody asked you either...

[@hamzasheikh2024]

@@DiamondDovesArt bitch who asked for u dumbass comment

[@DiamondDovesArt]

@@hamzasheikh2024 Who asked you? Nobody's opinion matters really. Unless you're popular on a social media or have alot of money everyone could care less about what anyone has to say...

[@andyjay729]

"My territory?" "No, mine!" "No, mine!" "Mine!" "Mine!" "Mine!" etc.

[@MindDrip]

Man, gulls are crazy

[@JamesLaserpimpWalsh]

I am here because I sort of helped a Herring Gull that had been mauled by a cat last year. She came back this year and laid eggs here on the roof outside my window so I have been watching them. They are very good parents actually. She normally sits on my window ledge quietly all day although he is a bit more noisy. When they fight (Not with each other though) they will first try to gain control over the other bird by grabbing their top beak as like a restraint hold almost. I am guessing to show their dominanace. Cheers for the video.

[@CBF1]

The only word a seagull can say is: MINE

[@filpav5987]

Finding Nemo meme XD

[@CBF1]

@@filpav5987 yeah, pretty much. so all the seagulls are saying in real life is "MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE"

[@nataliiav2150]

The only word you can say is your comment (in my sarcastic)

[@theyellowbighead9473]

That is the long call. They're probably saying GET OFF GET OFF GET OFF

[@sarak3593]

CBF1 lol

[@OonaCanute]

I love this video so much! Gulls are funny and fascinating and never get enough credit.

[@kyngtwiggs]

OonaCanute I agree they are fascinating birds

[@jiwejohnny]

theyre called SEAgulls!

[@ZironTheDerg]

I love seagulls too there so cute!!!!

[@HyTeddyBear]

if any of this birds dares to wake me up 6 AM i'll find their nest and grill them all >:((

[@Vixey_Starr]

@@HyTeddyBear and I'll be sure to find you and your family for a good ol' pot roast:)

[@HelenaMikas]

Gulls are impressive and every bit as determined as a human . They have a bad press which is so undeserved .

[@lastpokemon]

I live in Dublin Ireland and the whole city is a huge herring and black back seagull colony! I love and respect seagull a lot. they are amazing animals! clever and and fast learners -- excellent survivors

[@xinyuActor]

Until you get woke up 4 am by their "long calls". Bastards!!

[@carcinogenicthalidomide3057]

K

[@Badranltd]

I love this animal because It's the symbol of my city and my city club Jableh - Syria

[@abelmantor7557]

Amazing birds.

[@TonyEnglandUK]

Once you gain their trust, they're quite human-friendly, too. I hand-feed my seagull every day from the windowsill.

[@dylanoro9473]

Who's here from Fedding Steven? 😆

[@vishnusuresh1183]

Divine

[@michaelbeary]

I think the different calls mean alot more than just territorial disputes

[@alexanderbachvarov1787]

You are correct, I have 2 seagulls and all of these vocal calls means different things, only the long call is the same as described here.

[@VicRattlehead95]

Lol idk why that was funny 🤣

[@michaelbeary]

@@VicRattlehead95 I think I can understand what they're saying to each other.

[@josephricafort]

Lesson of this video: Communication prevents conflict. Seems like world leaders need to learn from the seagulls.

[@GnosticAtheist]

Excellent stuff. Much the same as with most species on earth, including us; signalling/communication is obviously preferred in evolution, as death tend to stop breeding... Nevertheless, it is hard to find good info about seagulls. I have a lot of them at my estate, and I try to "play" with them, finding out how they work (without causing harm). When I was young I saw them as pest with wings, but now I am fascinated with their simplistic beauty, and evolutionary success.

[@kmma1094]

Simplistic beauty? They are disgusting looking things. These ones stay in there native habitat atleast unlike the rats with wings you find in my town

[@C4rol5791]

@@kmma1094 stop the anti-gull propaganda they are very beautiful🤬🤬🤬

[@dominicspeirs8981]

I've got pair of gulls that visit me everyday and I feed them Mackrell :)

[@tylertaylor6830]

Holy shit these seagulls are hardcore

[@ArtistCameron]

Where I live they live in roofs all over the city and they seem to talk with each other like a network. One goes with the long Call, and some other, 2-3 miles away squeaks back, as a msg being passed through to a distant place. I sometimes scare one off, and it makes a different noise - as if to inform the others about it. It's hard to sleep with them around.

[@RaptorMan82]

Wonderful. I worked for a breeding season on Alcatraz Island years back, large colony of Western Gulls, and a couple California Gulls. Still miss the greetings I used to get each morning.

[@Personmr]

Do you know if its bad to give gulls the parts of steamed crab that peopledont usually eat such as the lungs? The crabs in question come from around the area. I like feeding them but im not sure if there might be unintended consequences.

[@usedx115x]

The gulls in my area do this hilarious thing to drive off other gulls where they call loudly and pump their necks like geese but while looking to the sky. I translate it as "these are my french fries!"

[@imra316]

Sea Gulls are one of my favorite birds! I never get tired of hearing their calls! Living next to the Atlantic Ocean we have a few species of Gulls! My all time favorite being the Laughing Gulls! If I don’t hear them I get worried! They make me feel at peace!

[@dragonlova64]

Thats a first, I'm so impressed that there's actually someone who doesnt find them annoying 😂

[@kyngtwiggs]

pyong64 yup!

[@CJCroen1393]

I saw a bunch of these guys just today while at Centre Island in Canada. They kept screaming at each other, making it clear that _every single one of them_ seemed to see the park as their territory.

[@mybb9200]

At 3:40 the left gull says: kek kek and the right gull says: What? 😀

[@thebrightsideofthemoon5829]

Rob B get da fuck of my rock bitch !

[@sarak3593]

Rob B yeah i think the kek kek is not about territory, it’s more like « what’s up! » . Once one herring gull spoke to me like that, but I was scared...now I wish he returns and just communicate with me again.

[@lavenna522]

It said "shut up"

[@behindthewaterfall]

When I was in high school I worked at a marina on Yaquina Bay in Newport, Oregon. There were many herring gulls around and I saw all kinds of gull behavior. The most interesting behavior I saw was when two gulls would pick up each end of a mooring line (5/8" yellow rope) and have a "tug of war" there on the dock. After seeing them do this several times I brought a camera and took some pictures.

[@ayahojo9527]

Watched too many Feeding Steven videos now that KZbin is recommending a seagull video from 11 years ago.

[@naxoxz]

The meta truly has evolved

[@sarahjasmin3733]

And some females just cant stop this "gag gag gag" they seem so happy I talk with them. Even if they re not hungry they come the neighbours rooftop for talking. Birds can make real friendship with people. The seagulls seem extraordinary intelligent and of course like to eat.😊

[@tommyrobinson9862]

That's why they have no problem swallowing poison.

[@cypressgazaway4191]

When even seagulls can learn to drop weapons and communicate better than humans there's an issue.

[@BoringFlightVids]

Synopsis of the video: all movements, and sounds made by seagulls can be interpreted as. "*ima beat yo ass*"

[@motormusic1]

In Blackpool town centre (UK) there are many Long Calls.. probably because there are food shops where after people walk out with pastries the bloody things attack..

[@user-pd6bd7ir4z]

same in Sunderland, North East mate! It's April now, so I hear the long call from around 5.30 am to at least half 8 at night lol

[@sarahjasmin3733]

But they do in South france not only bad speech like the long sound "go away" they use here also friendly speaking like gag gag. Or gag gag gag. The seagulls talk with me and it means happyness or hello my friend. It means for sure the gull is glad. My bird does it when he sees food or when the birds see me, because they know i give food to them and they wanna say hello.

[@gillstanilandsmusicforu]

Excellent video of gull behaviour and the explanation of the various calls and sounds made. We live in Jeffrey's Bay in South Africa and I love photographing the gulls on our shoreline but have often wondered what the various calls and walking behaviour is all about and this video has given me the information, thank you so much to all involved in the making of it.

[@jojob75]

Great video! I never knew gulls were so aggressive. I used to think of them as peaceful creatures.

[@Dave-vf5qj]

They are depending the context . My seagull visitor has been chill and coming to my home for 9 years

[@jojob75]

@@Dave-vf5qj Ok cool. Thanks

[@IAOIceland1984]

they are always incredibly aggressive where I live. I need to walk by a hill where they nest in the summer in order to get to the bus and even though the nests themselves are more than a kilometer away ,and I'm not even looking in their direction, they always come and attack me. They are murdering the duck population we have in Iceland and I dislike them a lot because of this

[@arandomcrowe]

I am being harassed by a seagull, it lives on a street lamp next to my house and attacking me whenever I try to go to the shop

[@psychoticannibal6125]

Kill one of them, the rest will respect you, and leave you alone.

[@garyengland9549]

I live on the coast . They don't bother me with there noise . There hardy animals . They have to be to survive . They were all Spartans in another life

[@k1er4n544]

beautiful creatures

[@leadersuccess3761]

no their not they are flying diseases .

[@zoedark7101]

@@leadersuccess3761no humans are diseases

[@filpav5987]

@@leadersuccess3761 Your idiot

[@sucklefuckerhardwick7901]

@@zoedark7101 You've just included yourself you dumb bitch 🤣

[@zoedark7101]

@@leadersuccess3761 They're

[@katia9940]

Very educational and helpful. I caught a seagull using the kek kek call while in an upright posture👍 Would recommend.

[@ufodeath]

Record actual nature and show exactly what the title suggest: still get 56 dislikes. What's wrong with those people?

[@LakeNipissing]

3:32 . . . *MY* eyes were hurting watching this.

[@a.j.medialover]

Oh man, in my suburb, gulls have been very common amongst certain areas, and whenever I pass by those areas, I would always hear them go "yeow" and "kek kek" as they fly down towards me in full speed. 😄😰 (despite me not even intending to invade their territory)

[@marcosrissi]

Good info. I have either seagulls and hearing gulls on neighbour's roof with chicks and wanted to know more. I love to see them flying and their sounds.

[@thomasgeorge-gilmore950]

They're the same bird. Seagull is just another term for the Herring Gull because before Humans took their habitat they were abundant on the coast but have since become more and more urban.

[@klaasomega1]

I have been following a Herring Gull for 10 years that sits on my roof every week. I also have ring numbers

[@herbert9241]

The gulls where I live are typically rude and savage but the gulls where I work are so used to me having a cigarette break sat on the same wall every time that they seem to acknowledge me as a neighbour. Actually, I think the same goes for the magpies and wagtails in their own way (the neighbourly thing, not the rude thing) - but they're not as bold and forward as gulls.

[@elizabethgaspodnetich9676]

I guess you learn something new every day.....

[@hayley8715]

I have a gull visit me daily when I feed my cat on balcony. I give him the left overs. If I'm behind schedule I get a call. People keep telling me they will pick a cat up if they want so I've become wary of encouraging it now. I don't get the hate people have for them, they are beings surviving like the rest.

[@bwabymafia]

Thank you for teaching me how to speak seagulese!

[@byronchavarria4954]

Seagulls Are Funny Animals

[@mh605]

Fascinating. I had no idea!

[@DemiHoe]

When the gulls have kids that fall off roofs and therefore stand in the middle of a street nearby my job Ive noticed that one gull on lookout signals once or twice before diving on me for being to close to the kids. But one thing I also noticed was that when I mimicked the lookout it was less attacks as a result. They actually often look surprised and start looking around. What do you make of this?

[@billybwfc5036]

at my school there is one seagull that has black wings and is so much larger than the other ones also there is a kid who feeds them everyday that’s why they never go away

[@robhaythorne4464]

The seagull that flies highest, poops furthest.

[@eccentriclullaby1357]

Great video!

[@amazingworld7359]

Nice to watch...!!!

[@miranda9691]

Awesome video!

[@Ray-rt8gd]

Thank you so much for this. This is so educational. Even in the americas!!

[@ericatard]

I once communicated with a gull by replicating their sounds.

[@herauthon]

And now you're married ?

[@anthonyreid666]

Really cool video

[@annuchouhdhary3226]

Thanks for explaining

[@nobodyisherejustdead]

Shocking -- my pet herring gull was disturbed too. She's very much afraid of her own kind anyway (much more than of dogs!) and outdoors I never leave her alone. After all the violent society of seagulls reminds me of our human one: We're no better and once were even cannibals as well.

[@jayatidas5908]

I have not seen a single seagal yet because they are not present here in India.....alas 😞 but i love to watch them in youtube....Thanks

[@carlbig1]

This is good knowledge thank you.

[@nicholebw2247]

1:57 1 Long Call 2 Mew 3 Kek Kek 4 Yeow

[@ElijahAnimates639]

0:51-0:53 it looked like he was trying to tell them to talk it out 😂

[@BrettCBCorr]

I love how intelligent they are. Better than people.

[@Dell-ol6hb]

My god Seagull society is brutal. I never realized how hardcore seagulls are.

[@chandramanidhamala9598]

I love seagulls

[@theonlyamdor3763]

I like seagulls their a perfect balance between annoying, cute, derpy its great. also since their mostly around oceans and McDonald's they remind me of my 2 favorite places :D I may or may not have made a videogame clan called the seagulls lol

[@Cazperinox]

Here i am at 3 am looking at seagull videos. Quite an interesting bird, we have two seagull nests around our house with both having 3 eggs eatch, and from my bedroom window i could witness 3 little chicks hatching and then growing up. Now the one pair has left their nest, but we can still see them close by. Second pair of seagulls looks to be failing to hatch their eggs since the hatching season is almost over.

[@peetre]

My cat says they should not be allowed to meow!

[@dusklowkietwitch2563]

i am 7 years late

[@gardini100]

we got a family of four on a construction site, but it looks like they are used to us both the parents and the small ones, they only charge at other birds , and animals or people that do not wear the same outfits as we do, we are in the safe zone it looks like, but we tried to make life easy for them from the early start since they had made up their mind this was the nesting ground, we just let them do their things and are careful around them since those little ones they can be hard to spot at times and we do not want to crush them by materials or feets :D, we also got a little crow family in the same area they do not match at all :D..but fun to watch and be able to take part in

[@MetroCammellDMUs]

that was interesting. maybe i need to record the Long Call and play it back when one is eyeing up my Cornish Pasty or ice cream...lol. I heard a year ago that a woman in Cornwall was attacked by a seagull when she was eating. they tend to try snatching your food away from you and some get aggressive trying to do so

[@ajs2120]

The kek kek is hilarious. Who comes up with these terms.

[@freshmoistfrog8417]

birdchan

[@54Tangerine]

Yes my cats are indoors always. As I'm fond of saying, the coyotes have to eat too, and we have plenty roaming our neighbourhood.

[@diegosartorio4853]

Here I am 5 AM at sunrise, trying to understand why the nearby seagull are waking me up

[@mikekram2199]

Are you joking. "A complex system of social signals." Basically they all the calls mean the same thing. They're just varying different levels and degrees of "fuck off! That's mine!! Get back!! and leave it alone!!!"

[@richgg2]

Hearing them reminds me of Jones beach!

[@khoocheepeng]

so interesting,

[@Zenkitty26]

All of them! ;)

[@kieffergonzalez1311]

Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine.

[@adybashir]

Why does my teacher want me to learn how to speak like a seagull

[@amandacristopher7432]

nice

[@chanlix4522]

i’m showing this to my baby rescue seagull so he won’t feel lonely

[@jameshuang3560]

Love them dearly and often missed them badly.

[@prudencehumber2089]

Planning a day at Jersey shore. Will enjoy looking at Gulls' communications. We often use "bird brain" as a perjorative term. How awesome that little brain is! How much more awesome is God who has blessed us so abundantly with his vast variety of creatures to enjoy!!!

[@vgernyc]

Translation "Mine!"

[@liambutterfield1527]

this is everything to me ❤

[@ShakespeareCafe]

Birds on the Rock (Alcatraz) The Western Gull [Larus occidentalis] The entire Island has ample roosting spots for a variety of seabirds, and their populations are well protected from boats and people. Gulls are champion flyers on SF Bay

[@Iskalla]

I always watch them from my window. Once I saw one stood on top of the other weird haha

[@jameshuang7787]

LOL ... I knew some of their sound ...

[@infinitecanadian]

Gulls are walking, flying, and swimming garbage cans. You gotta love them!

[@johnmcdonald789]

This seems so stressful

[@GotoMaki4Micah]

gulls take over parking lots where i live. they all face one direction and dont move much even when your in a car and ''chase' them they hardly move. is that normal?

[@hm-2463]

Just give them their simit and go 😂

[@sandrabadillo3970]

I live in the high desert and am having a hard time with this new in coming, I always feed ravens they are taking over do u have any suggestion who to help me

[@petervisen]

wonder ful to get code of sounds i hav listened to many summers close seagulls nesting aggressive body languagr i have similiar in eagles e.g thank you for this vid.

[@Personmr]

My grandmother has had alot of birds and let me tell you; they can be mean. We had a cockatoo that would activly try to get into a myers parrot cage just so she could attack it. The myers parrot itself killed a smaller bird once.

[@ofthelord1020]

They're not bloody computers, they have souls you know!

[@4wen_main]

One thing for sure Seagulls are better at long calls than human beings 😂

[@dragonswing15137]

If the gulls return to the same portion of the rock as in previous years, where can the offspring go? Must they fight to establish their territory?