<P> In addition to taking a wide range prey, gulls display great versatility in how they obtain prey . Prey can be obtained in the air, on water, or on land . In the air, a number of hooded species are able to hawk insects on the wing; larger species perform this feat more rarely . Gulls on the wing also snatch items both off water and off the ground, and over water they also plunge - dive to catch prey . Again, smaller species are more manoeuvrable and better able to hover - dip fish from the air . Dipping is also common when birds are sitting on the water, and gulls may swim in tight circles or foot paddle to bring marine invertebrates up to the surface . Food is also obtained by searching the ground, often on the shore among sand, mud or rocks . Larger gulls tend to do more feeding in this way . In shallow water gulls may also engage in foot paddling . A method of obtaining prey unique to gulls involves dropping heavy shells of clams and mussels onto hard surfaces . Gulls may fly some distance to find a suitable surface on which to drop shells, and apparently a learned component to the task exists, as older birds are more successful than younger ones . While overall feeding success is a function of age, the diversity in both prey and feeding methods is not . The time taken to learn foraging skills may explain the delayed maturation in gulls . </P> <P> Gulls have only a limited ability to dive below the water to feed on deeper prey . To obtain prey from deeper down, many species of gulls feed in association with other animals, where marine hunters drive prey to the surface when hunting . Examples of such associations include four species of gulls feeding around plumes of mud brought to the surface by feeding grey whales, and also between orcas (largest dolphin species) and kelp gulls (and other seabirds). </P> <P> Gulls are monogamous and colonial breeders that display mate fidelity that usually lasts for the life of the pair . Divorce of mated pairs does occur, but it apparently has a social cost that persists for a number of years after the break - up . Gulls also display high levels of site fidelity, returning to the same colony after breeding there once and even usually breeding in the same location within that colony . Colonies can vary from just a few pairs to over a hundred thousand pairs, and may be exclusive to that gull species or shared with other seabird species . A few species nest singly, and single pairs of band - tailed gulls may breed in colonies of other birds . Within colonies, gull pairs are territorial, defending an area of varying size around the nesting site from others of their species . This area can be as large as a 5 - m radius around the nest in the herring gull to just a tiny area of cliff ledge in the kittiwakes . </P> <P> Most gulls breed once a year and have predictable breeding seasons lasting for three to five months . Gulls begin to assemble around the colony for a few weeks prior to occupying the colony . Existing pairs re-establish their pair - bonds, and unpaired birds begin courting . Birds then move back into their territories and new males establish new territories and attempt to court females . Gulls defend their territories from rivals of both sexes through calls and aerial attacks . </P>

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