Terns Gulls and Relatives: Laridae - Physical Characteristics, Habitat, Diet, Behavior And Reproduction, Gulls, Terns, Relatives, And People - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, CONSERVATION STATUS
species found accounts temperate
Gulls and terns are found in coastal regions worldwide. Skimmers are found in temperate, not too hot or too cold, and tropical regions in North America, South America, Africa, and Asia. Skuas and jaegers are found in temperate and polar areas.
Chinese crested terns are Critically Endangered, facing an extremely high risk of extinction. Threats to gulls and terns include habitat destruction and disturbance, hunting, egg collection, predation by cats and other species associated with humans, pollution from oil spills and pesticides.
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Gulls, terns, and their relatives vary between 8 and 32 inches (20 to 81 centimeters) in length and between 1.6 and 74 ounces (46 to 2,100 grams) in weight. Gulls and terns generally have white bellies and gray or black backs. Males and females are similar in both size and coloration. Young birds, however, are usually spotted or streaked to help them blend in with their environments. During the br…
Gulls eat a wide variety of foods. Many obtain fish and invertebrates, animals without backbones, from the seashore. Some species take advantage of human garbage or beg for handouts from people. Gulls have a wide variety of methods for obtaining food, including walking on the ground, searching in the water, and diving. They are also known to drop mollusks and other hard-shelled animals from a larg…
Aside from skimmers and two species of gulls, most members of the gull and tern family are diurnal, active during the day. During the breeding season, gulls and terns nest in small or large colonies. Terns in particular are found in very large groups that may include millions of individuals. Gulls and terns are territorial during the breeding season, defending a small area around the nest from oth…
Physical characteristics: Some Arctic skuas are entirely brown, while others have a dark gray head, white neck and belly, and dark back and wings. Geographic range: Arctic skuas are found in far northern coastal areas, near the North Pole, during the breeding season. They spend the winter in the Southern Hemisphere in coastal areas. Habitat: Arctic skuas breed on tundra, treeless plains found in a…
Physical characteristics: Saunder's gull has a black head and neck, white throat and belly, white eye crescents, and gray back. The bill is red with a dark band. Juveniles and nonbreeding adults are primarily white. Geographic range: Saunder's gulls breed in coastal areas of eastern China and spend the winter in South Korea, southern Japan, and North Vietnam. Habitat: Saunder'…
Physical characteristics: Black terns have black heads, necks, and breasts. Their backs and bellies are dark gray in color. Juveniles and nonbreeding adults are pale gray on the back and white on the belly and head, with a dark patch on the side of the breast. Geographic range: Black terns are found in temperate North America, Europe, and Eastern Asia during the breeding season. They spend the win…
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