-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Can Seagulls see at night? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter jakana
- Start date
London Birder
Well-known member
seen gulls actively feeding at night with ambient light and my local Herring Gull colony can be noisy right throughout hours of darkness ... also often head to roost very close to dark
GullFan4Life
New member
Night of the Seagulls
I think its amazing how the attitude of Seagulls not flying at night is so prominent because of the old Spanish Horror film entitled "Night of The Seagulls."
According to the Amando de Ossorio film, Seagulls are unable to fly at night. Looks like Mr.Ossorio is mistaken.
If they aren't flying, what are they doing???
I think its amazing how the attitude of Seagulls not flying at night is so prominent because of the old Spanish Horror film entitled "Night of The Seagulls."
According to the Amando de Ossorio film, Seagulls are unable to fly at night. Looks like Mr.Ossorio is mistaken.
If they aren't flying, what are they doing???
SwallowLuver
New member
It's true that seagulls from different regions have slightly different attributes, but I'm almost positive that none of them can see at night. Their pupils are entirely too small to capture enough light, and their eye muscles are too weak to adjust properly. This does not necessarily prevent them from flying at night, they just tend to shy away from it. These majestic avians will most often be seen during the day, nearest to their feeding grounds : beach picnics.
GullFan4Life
New member
I tend to disagree SwallowLuver. A favorite photographer of mine captures segulls beautifully and states that their eyesight is better than ours!
Our friends at field and forest have the following information and pictures: http://www.fieldandforest.com/conte...rds/108B19FE-8F7E-11DA-A09F-000A95989CB6.html
Interesting paragraph from the site:
"Just recently I told one of my favorite gulls, The Old Man of the Sea, a fair exchange would be his seafood for my French bread. At my next visit, The Old Man flew up beside me and plopped down a huge crab (sans pinchers). The crab started to crawl away. The Old Man picked up the crab in his beak and threw it over onto its back. I was laughing so hard, with tears in my eyes I thanked Old Man. He shook his head, grabbed the crab and flew away. Sure, it was a coincidence, right? Or, was it?"
Our friends at field and forest have the following information and pictures: http://www.fieldandforest.com/conte...rds/108B19FE-8F7E-11DA-A09F-000A95989CB6.html
Interesting paragraph from the site:
"Just recently I told one of my favorite gulls, The Old Man of the Sea, a fair exchange would be his seafood for my French bread. At my next visit, The Old Man flew up beside me and plopped down a huge crab (sans pinchers). The crab started to crawl away. The Old Man picked up the crab in his beak and threw it over onto its back. I was laughing so hard, with tears in my eyes I thanked Old Man. He shook his head, grabbed the crab and flew away. Sure, it was a coincidence, right? Or, was it?"
PassingBreeze
New member
jakana said:
Long time lurker, first time poster. I couldn't keep quiet about your ignorance about birds. If there is one thing that really ruffles by feathers it's armchair ornithologists such as yourself. I'm willing to bet that you often mistake a horned grebe in its transitional plumage for a eared grebe! What a joke!
It's very clear to clear to bird fly-natics such as myself that American seagulls are fully equipped to conduct all necessary gull operations at night.
Attachments
London Birder
Well-known member
no different in England to anywhere else, not sure why you'd think they might be ... I've seen them in ambient light, not pitch black, even an owl can't see in total darkness!
your prof is wrong unfortunately ... some species of Larid will certainly feed and fly after sundown ..
as for gulls on your side of the pond >
http://estuaries.olemiss.edu/cdrom/ESTU1993_16_4_809_814.pdf
may be worth you looking into Swallow-tailed Gull also ..
your prof is wrong unfortunately ... some species of Larid will certainly feed and fly after sundown ..
as for gulls on your side of the pond >
http://estuaries.olemiss.edu/cdrom/ESTU1993_16_4_809_814.pdf
may be worth you looking into Swallow-tailed Gull also ..
jakana said:
Last edited:
In Aberdeen both Herring and Black-headed Gulls are very active at night. Lots of street lights though.
Pterodroma
Well-known member
Can seagulls see at night?
Swallow-tailed Gull IS a nocturnal gull.
Found in the Galapagos Islands this species flies to sea at night, only returning to feed young or guard and incubate at the nest. They display at dawn and dusk. A paper in the Wilson Bulletin conclusively proved that this taxon is the only truly nocturnal gull
Swallow-tailed Gull IS a nocturnal gull.
Found in the Galapagos Islands this species flies to sea at night, only returning to feed young or guard and incubate at the nest. They display at dawn and dusk. A paper in the Wilson Bulletin conclusively proved that this taxon is the only truly nocturnal gull
Mike Johnston
Well-known member
Some Northern species of gull are said to become partly nocturnal when they visit the tropics in winter. This is supposedly to avoid overheating, being robbed by frigatebirds, and there being a more plentiful supply of fish, squid and plankton at night, when they come to the surface. Being descended from Sabine's Gull, the ancestors of Swallow-tailed Gull began nesting on the Galapagos instead of returning north. They probably suffered heavily from frigatebird robbery and so have become mostly nocturnal, returning to their nests at dawn when the frigates appear.
Stephen Menzie
Being English isn't about hate. It's about disgust
Andrew Whitehouse said:
In Liverpool city centre last night (1am) there were just as many gulls flying about as there are flying about in the day. Herring and Lesser Black-backed. The whole city centre is brightly lit and they are presumably taking advantage of this. Although it's interesting to note that there are no pigeons about at all, so obviously it’s not entirely down to the light that the gulls come out. There must also be some other factor involved, be it a tendency for the gulls to naturally come out at night or a more rapid adaptation by the gulls than the pigeons to take advantage of the extra hours in the day the light gives.
Stephen
London Birder
Well-known member
Pterodroma said:
I know ..
smokeyging
Member
Interesting post. As one said before they do fly in ambient light. At our work here in New Zealand we have ‘Black-backed gulls’ roosting on our roof. My work involves weird hours and weird days, often when I have arrived at work, 12.00am, 3-4.00am, or leaving they will fly over to see what I’m doing etc. although we do have a lot of ambient light were i work.
Charlie Rowney
Member
Grey Gull
For what it's worth, another species the Grey Gull Larus modestus nests in deserts in northern Chile many miles from the sea and forages along the coast in the day visiting nests at night. Described by Harrison in his Seabirds" as "a remarkable species.......flies through the night..."
For what it's worth, another species the Grey Gull Larus modestus nests in deserts in northern Chile many miles from the sea and forages along the coast in the day visiting nests at night. Described by Harrison in his Seabirds" as "a remarkable species.......flies through the night..."
Julian Bell
Natural Born Birder
I work at sea, frequently on the nightshift and yes, gulls are very active at night. Audoin's gulls in the med seem to be more active at night than during the day - and were the gull species I saw most of during darkness.
Another somewhat illuminating experience (if you pardon the exression) was in the Barent's Sea a winter or two ago. Good numbers of gulls followed the vessel a lot of the time - including Glaucous gulls and Kittiwakes. If these birds can't see in the dark then how on earth could they survive in winter during 24/7 darkness!!
See here for more details
Another somewhat illuminating experience (if you pardon the exression) was in the Barent's Sea a winter or two ago. Good numbers of gulls followed the vessel a lot of the time - including Glaucous gulls and Kittiwakes. If these birds can't see in the dark then how on earth could they survive in winter during 24/7 darkness!!
See here for more details
Woodchatshrike
Registered User
I regularly watch BH Gulls hawking insects after dark at Loch Leven during the summer months when it is calm.
