Baby Seagulls: All You Need To Know

In much of the globe, gulls—or seagulls, as they are more often called—are a very common sight. They inhabit every continent, including the Antarctic and the High Arctic!

Even though seagulls are quite common and abundant, it is nevertheless uncommon to see baby seagulls. There will be a ton of pictures of young seagulls in this post, which will cover every aspect of raising seagulls!

What is the appearance of a baby seagull?

Seagull chicks are well-known for their adorable and fluffy nature. There are 54 different species of gulls, thus their appearance varies, but most seagull chicks have soft, fluffy brown down that is speckled or mottled.

Their bodies are frequently covered in spots or mottling, however, sometimes they just have speckles on their heads.

But this does change from time to time. Kittiwake babies have speckled gray wings and are substantially more white or grey than brown. The majority of gull species’ chicks have a similar appearance, with minor variations in size, color, and proportions.

What is the size of a baby gull?

Basically, it is species-specific. The Little Gull is the smallest species of gull, with a body length of around 30 cm, a wingspan of about 61 to 78 cm, and a mass of 68 to 162g.

The Great Black-Backed gull is the biggest, growing to a length of 64 to 79cm, a wingspan of 1.5 to 1.7m, and a maximum weight of 2.5kg.

Even though both species’ chicks seemed somewhat similar, their sizes are probably very different!

Although there isn’t much information on the sizes of individual gull chicks, most of them are probably around the same size as a duckling based on the size of their eggs. Naturally, this will change. For instance, little gull chicks will be quite small.

What is the weight of a baby seagull?

Consistent data on the weights of newborn gulls is scarce. According to one research on Herring gull weight, the average weight at five days of life was around 50 grams.

Many medium- to large-sized gulls, such as the Herring gull, Common gull, and Lesser Black-Backed gull, weigh around fifty grams on average. Because there is a lot of variation in gull size and weight, smaller species will weigh much less.

What appearance do young seagulls have?

When a juvenile seagull reaches maturity, it takes them around four years to resemble an adult gull with fully grown plumage.

Throughout their first year of life, juvenile seagulls remain mostly brown or mottled grey in color, with an abundance of shaggy, downy feathers adorning their bodies and necks.

During their second year, more white and grey pigmentation appears, especially on the top wings, and these specks start to disappear. Additionally, the beak starts to get more pink-yellow in color.

The gulls’ heads begin to change to their adult color, which is typically white, by the third year. Brown feathers start to become gray and white. The juvenile’s beak will become yellow in several species.

What’s the name of a baby gull?

Usually, seagull babies are simply referred to as gull chicks. They lack specialized names such as eaglets, owlets, etc.

What’s the name of a brood of baby gulls?

When their chicks are first born, gull parents are very protective of them and won’t allow them to interact with other young gulls. This goes on until the bird flies away and joins a group of gulls, often accompanied by other young birds.

This may take some time, and very young gulls are often seen alone and unaccompanied for a while before joining a bigger group of mature birds.

Generally, gulls, whether adult or young, are referred to as a flock or colony.

What nourishes the young seagulls?

Seagull chicks consume everything their parents give them, which is pretty much anything! The parents will recite the most of this meal.

Gulls are obliging omnivores that consume everything, including plant material, fish, and even leftover human food. The main foods they eat mostly rely on what kinds of food are available where they live.

In contrast to most other birds, gull parents feed their babies three to six times a day on average. Foods include anything the parents decide is soft enough for the chick to consume, which may include partly digested and regurgitated meals as well as fragments of soft or water-sodden food.

How are chicks fed by seagulls?

Usually, both parents of seagulls assist in feeding the young, giving them both soft leftovers and food that they have regurgitated. The chicks will call for their parents almost nonstop for the first week or two of their lives. The parents will return at different times of the day to feed the chicks. At least until the gull baby leaves the nest, usually after five to six weeks, regurgitative feeding is continued.

Some species, like the Herring gull, continue to feed their young after they have fledged. The post-fledgling chicks of herring gulls may continue to be fed for around two months, and the fledglings may spend a significant portion of the year with their parents.

What appearance do seagull eggs have?

The majority of gull eggs blend in nicely with olive, green, or brownish-green colors. While the eggs of certain species are browner than those of others, they all generally have a similar appearance and seem to blend in rather well with their rocky or mossy habitats.

How long does it take for seagull eggs to hatch?

Typically, gull eggs hatch after 30 to 32 days of incubation. In some species, such as the Kittiwake, this might be as little as 28 days.

Seagulls deposit their eggs when?

Over most of Europe, gulls typically lay their eggs in late April or early May. It’s often a little sooner in March or early April in America.

This typical breeding season starts to become less relevant as gulls approach the equator or other warm places. For instance, swallow-tailed gulls, which inhabit the Galapagos Islands, reproduce throughout the year without a set mating season.

How quickly do baby seagulls grow?

The body weight of seagull chicks doubles in a matter of days due to their rapid growth. Even in the first few days after their birth, they are often quite active and like to explore the vicinity of the nest, sometimes venturing far from it.

This may give the impression that the chick has been abandoned by its parents, particularly if it appears in an odd or dangerous place, but don’t worry—gull parents are watchful and knowledgeable and will probably guide the errant chick back to safety!

What is the size of a seagull clutch?

Most species of gulls lay two to four eggs on average, although most consistently lay three. Only one or two of the three chicks that hatch will probably survive.

When do young gulls learn to fly?

After six to eight weeks, most newborn gulls can fly, depending on the species. An average of 45 days is common.

For a few days, fledglings usually aren’t able to fly correctly. This is a dangerous period since they might be exposed to dangerous places. The parents vocalize their encouragement of flight and withhold meals for a short while.

When do young gulls depart from their nests?

Even in the days after hatching, baby gulls remain active and often leave their nest to forage in the surrounding area.

However, they won’t really leave the nest for at least four to eight weeks, and some species may spend as much as six months in the vicinity of their nesting places.

Do gulls re-use their nests?

Numerous gull species, including the Franklin’s, Black-backed, and Glaucous gulls, are highly migratory, flying south of their breeding sites every winter to spend the winter as roosters in warmer climates. They usually make their precise way back to the same nesting areas. According to studies, gulls’ extraordinary sense of navigation may be aided by their keen sense of smell.

Because gull nests are not usually permanent—they usually only survive a few months—breeding couples usually build a new nest every year, which takes around two weeks. If the nest survives undamaged, they could utilize the nest or the nesting materials again.

For what duration do young seagulls remain with their parents?

Depending on the species, this might vary greatly. For example, although some gull chicks become somewhat independent of their parents in a span of 6 to 8 weeks, others remain with them for the majority of the year.

One such species is the herring gull, whose parents even feed their young by regurgitating it long after they have flown away from the nest. Until they reach adulthood, young gulls often spend a considerable amount of time with their parents and neighboring flocks. These birds are long-lived and patient; they wait three to four years after birth to reproduce.

Do young seagulls consume water?

In the wild, food is the primary source of water for newborn seagulls.

As one of the few birds that can effectively filter salt out of seawater, gulls are able to consume both fresh and saltwater. With the exception of marine birds that spend a large portion of their lives at sea, most birds have this nasal gland, which is located near the eye, although the majority of them are dormant.

This gland effectively filters out sodium chloride, or salt, from the blood, allowing gulls to consume freshwater as well as seawater.