Holly Moss, age 9, of Bridgeport, Conn., for her question:
WHERE DO GULLS LAY EGGS?
Probably the most familiar of all sea birds are the gulls. They are common and conspicuous around the beaches and harbors where people live. Often called the "sea gulls,'' they are more properly called gulls. Often they follow ocean bound ships out of the harbors hoping to salvage some food, but only a few of the 43 species of gulls can be found far out at sea. Gulls are generally heavy h.odied birds and measure from 11 to 32 inches in length. They have long, stout bills that curve downward at the tip into a sharp hook.
Although they prefer animal food and fish when they can get it, gulls will just about eat anything. They are not good fisherman and seldom catch live food unless it is crippled. But they are good scavengers and are not at all finicky in their choice of food. They actually perform a most useful service around harbors and beaches by cleaning up fish stranded by the tide and any edible garbage that has been tossed out.
Almost every sewage outlet and garbage dump in coastal cities is usually attended by gulls, especially in the winter when pickings are often lean along the coast.
Among the most common gulls are the California gull, found in western North America, the herring gull, often seen on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, the laughing gull, found along Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America and the great black backed gull, found along North Atlantic coasts.
Gulls nest on the ground, building bulky structures of seaweed and whatever other vegetation is handy. They lay two or three brownish eggs heavily spotted with darker brown or black. Both mother and father share the job of incubation watch which lasts from 20 to 30 days .
When the young gulls hatch, they are already covered with grayish down. They are able to stand and walk soon after hatching, but elect to stay in or near their nests until they are fairly well grown. They can fly and go out on their own after four to six weeks.
American gulls are migratory birds. They fly to warm regions in the winter and fly back north to breed in the summer. Some build nests on rocky ledges of islands or in marshes. Large colonies may often be seen where their breeding places have not been disturbed.
Salt Lake City residents erected a monument to the gulls that destroyed millions of grasshoppers in 9848 and saved the crops of the settlers.
A close relative of the gull is the tern. Most gulls have broader wings, squarer tails and larger, stockier bodies than terns. Gulls look less graceful in flight than terns but they can swim better.
Gulls are fine soarers, able to ride updrafts from waves, dunes, cliffs or buildings. Often they can circle for long periods of time without seeming to move a muscle.