Yesterday I witnessed a few Ring-Billed Gulls playing a game in southern Maryland, USA. The location was a small lake with over 100 gulls resting on its shore and a handful more flying around above the lake.
One of the flying gulls had a twig around 10 cm long in its beak, which it would then drop. It would let the twig hit the lake surface, then race a couple other interested gulls to the surface to grab it. I saw over 10 cycles of this behavior. Usually, but not always, the gull who dropped the twig recovered it. When a different gull recovered it, it would continue with the game, and the others would follow him and the twig. At no point did I see any gull try to catch the twig in air, though some would begin their swoop toward the lake surface before the twig arrived there.
One of the flying gulls had a twig around 10 cm long in its beak, which it would then drop. It would let the twig hit the lake surface, then race a couple other interested gulls to the surface to grab it. I saw over 10 cycles of this behavior. Usually, but not always, the gull who dropped the twig recovered it. When a different gull recovered it, it would continue with the game, and the others would follow him and the twig. At no point did I see any gull try to catch the twig in air, though some would begin their swoop toward the lake surface before the twig arrived there.
