While doing our survey in offshore waters, we spotted five seagulls harassing a small migratory bird. The small one did his best to fly away and avoid being killed, but he was hopeless. One of the seagulls eventually caught the small bird, while the other gulls tried to steal it from its beak. Then the seagull ingested the entire bird while flying.
One of the reasons why seagulls are still plentiful, while many other bird species decline, is that they have an incredibly flexible behaviour and diet. They can be hunters (as observed here), gatherers, scavengers, thieves, beggars and more.
(Photo by S. Bonizzoni, Northern Adriatic Sea)
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