Gaviotas

A grey day on the beach today, heavy rain this morning. I did have fun chasing the gulls. I was testing the accepted theory that gulls are highly intelligent with complex communication methods. From what I could ascertain this is quite untrue. Stroll up near them, meow loudly and bush up my tail and one takes flight and they all follow. Being a copy cat does not demonstrate intelligence to me.

Factoid: Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns (family Sternidae), auks and skimmers, and more distantly to the waders. Most gulls belong to the large genus Larus. They are in general medium to large birds, typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. Most gulls, particularly Larus species, are ground nesting carnivores, which will take live food or scavenge opportunistically. The live food often includes crabs and small fish. Gulls — the larger species in particular — are resourceful and highly-intelligent birds, demonstrating complex methods of communication and a highly-developed social structure.