# Why are seagulls seen 100s of miles from ocean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 20, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927 "2003-04-20T22:11:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/41 "2003-04-23T00:31:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by barbitu8 \* > \*\*I never said a pelican was a gull. I was replying to a prior post. \*\* My eyes must have been deceiving me in this post then… > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by barbitu8 \* > There are two pelican species found in NA, the brown pelican (which has been the only one in SC, where I live, until recently) and the white pelican (my book calls it the American white pelican). **Any gulls in Utah would be the white pelican** , which is much more whiter than the brown. …or maybe you could’ve phrased it better? It’s easy enough to find references to gulls in Utah – just Google “gull utah distribution”. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/42 "2003-04-23T00:39:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MLS \* > \*\*\ > I was told by an avid bird-watcher and avian expert that there is no such thing as a “seagull.” There are lots of types of gulls, some of which happen to live near the ocean. You will see various types of gulls at the seaside. \ \*\* of course, but nobody outside of anal-retentive birdwatchers is expecting the term ‘seagull’ to denote a single species. This is every bit as daft as chemists telling gardeners off for their misuse of the term ‘organic’. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/43 "2003-04-23T01:02:32Z")
That was obviously a typo. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/44 "2003-04-23T01:23:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > \*\*of course, but nobody outside of anal-retentive birdwatchers is expecting the term ‘seagull’ to denote a single species. > > This is every bit as daft as chemists telling gardeners off for their misuse of the term ‘organic’. \*\* I don’t see where anyone is being told off. The OP has apparently been confused by the use of a misleading colloquialism. Nobody, even an anal-retentive birdwatcher expects the term seagull “to denote a single species” – they don’t use seagull at all, they use gull. ---
**Author:** ![Jeremiah\_T\_Crier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@Jeremiah\_T\_Crier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeremiah_T_Crier)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/45 "2014-04-07T07:03:55Z")
I live in Omaha, Nebraska. Several years ago I thought I saw a few seagulls outside an Old Country Buffet. I told my daughter who lives in California but, she didn’t believe they could be seagulls. I saw many seagulls, up close and personal during my visits to the west coast so I know very well what they look like. I kept seeing them through the past few years here but in more places and in greater numbers. A few days ago my youngest daughter here in Omaha sent me a close up pic of a flock of seagulls in the Hy-Vee parking lot where she works. They are here in Omaha, especially near restaurants and some stores. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/46 "2014-04-07T08:13:56Z")
Just so you know, this is an eleven year old thread. So don’t expect a lot of responses back from the previous posters. You can, however, expect a lot of zombie jokes from the upcoming posters. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/47 "2014-04-07T08:21:47Z")
Seagulls can migrate pretty far inland in 11 years. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/48 "2014-04-07T08:59:32Z")
Are you suggesting that zombie seagulls migrate? ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/49 "2014-04-07T09:09:37Z")
> [@Dervorin](#): > > Are you suggesting that zombie seagulls migrate? Are they African or European zombies? 😃 Interestingly, the California Seagull is the [state bird of Utah](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_birds); so it must be pretty common for them to migrate inland. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/50 "2014-04-07T09:59:14Z")
Well, they have that big salt lake in Utah, which is, to all intents and purposes, a sea. Not that this makes a difference to the question of why or whether gulls belong there. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/51 "2014-04-07T11:17:46Z")
I’ve seen gulls here in New Mexico- pelicans too. The Rio Grande valley is a migratory flyway leading to the Gulf of Mexico and we get a wide variety of species here. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/52 "2014-04-07T12:35:30Z")
Good resurrecter user name/post combination. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/53 "2014-04-07T15:44:29Z")
It’s for just this reason that ornithologists frown on the use of the term “seagull,” in preference to just “gull.” Many species of gulls (and terns) inhabit inland areas along freshwater and saltwater lakes and larger rivers and ponds. The [Franklin’s Gull](http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/franklins_gull/id) of North America breeds on ponds in the northern Great Plains. It’s a misconception that gulls only inhabit coastal areas. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/54 "2014-04-07T15:55:32Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Just so you know, this is an eleven year old thread. So don’t expect a lot of responses back from the previous posters. You can, however, expect a lot of zombie jokes from the upcoming posters. Are you suggesting some folks are gull-ible? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/55 "2014-04-07T16:39:03Z")
Seagulls that violate the naming rules of human beings go where there isn’t sea. They fly wherever they please. They are scofflaws. Bad birds. When a human gives and animal a name, it should be required to adhere to the name or be criminally charged and prosecuted. They know they are wrong! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/aP3gzee1cps/hqdefault.jpg "Barking cat gets caught! (ORIGINAL)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP3gzee1cps) ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/56 "2014-04-07T17:08:57Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It’s for just this reason that ornithologists frown on the use of the term “seagull,” in preference to just “gull.” Many species of gulls (and terns) inhabit inland areas along freshwater and saltwater lakes and larger rivers and ponds. The [Franklin’s Gull](http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/franklins_gull/id) of North America breeds on ponds in the northern Great Plains. It’s a misconception that gulls only inhabit coastal areas. Yeah, when I was in Denver, we had a bunch of [sea]gulls in our parking lot, leading to a lot of email / local newsgroup chatter about “What are seagulls doing in Denver?”. This being the 80s, a lot of jokes concerning a certain new wave band resulted, but my office mate wound up relaying a message from his wife, an ornithologist, who informed us that “seagull” was a misnomer, and there was nothing unusual about gulls being in Denver. ---
**Author:** ![Melchior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Melchior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melchior)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/57 "2014-04-07T17:32:52Z")
Here in Central Ohio there was a big flock of seagulls at the grocery store parking lot about a month ago. Hundreds of them! I have no idea what brought them here. There was no food around, as there was still some snow on the ground. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/58 "2014-04-07T18:00:46Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It’s for just this reason that ornithologists frown on the use of the term “seagull,” in preference to just “gull.” Many species of gulls (and terns) inhabit inland areas along freshwater and saltwater lakes and larger rivers and ponds. The [Franklin’s Gull](http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/franklins_gull/id) of North America breeds on ponds in the northern Great Plains. It’s a misconception that gulls only inhabit coastal areas. Well, wikipedia refers to them as seabirds, they’ve got webbed feet and they can drink salt water. I’ll defer to your bird expertise, but it seems calling them seagulls is perhaps annoying because it’s redundant, not because we find them inland almost everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/59 "2014-04-07T20:58:04Z")
I haven’t read all the replies, but in summary, there is no such thing as a “seagull” in the formal nomenclature of avian taxonomy. Gulls are member of the family Laridae. Most species exhibit a habitat preference near the sea, but for many, any large lake, marsh or river will do. They are reluctant to fly out of sight of land, so do not occur on remote islands, but can travel inland as long as they can find sustenance. The state bird of Utah is the California Gull, which migrates to the coast only in winter, and is otherwise found from Utah and Colorado up into the Northwest Territories. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927/60 "2014-04-07T21:05:05Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > I haven’t read all the replies, but in summary, there is no such thing as a “seagull” in the formal nomenclature of avian taxonomy. Gulls are member of the family Laridae. Most species exhibit a habitat preference near the sea, but for many, any large lake, marsh or river will do. They are reluctant to fly out of sight of land, so do not occur on remote islands, but can travel inland as long as they can find sustenance. > > The state bird of Utah is the California Gull, which migrates to the coast only in winter, and is otherwise found from Utah and Colorado up into the Northwest Territories. Is that the same gull that rid the land of locusts for the Mormons? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-seagulls-seen-100s-of-miles-from-ocean/169927.md?page=4)