History of Gulls in European and North American Zoos

Abstract

Gulls are one of the most familiar and successful groups of birds, usually found in shorelines and other aquatic habitats across the world. They are rather large birds, usually grey or white, and numbering around 54 species. They have always been of limited interest for private aviculturalists, but in the last century they were still widely kept in zoological gardens in Europe and North America. The popularity of gulls as zoo birds has declined in recent years. In this article, the authors discuss the history of gulls in zoos as well as experiences and observations on their diet, management, breeding and the presence of hybrids in captivity.