Pacific Gull picks up sea urchin and drops it from the air

Teo Lee Wei & K documented a Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus) picking up a sea urchin from the shallow water around Victor Harbor in South Australia. It then flew around to drop the prey on the hard surface of the causeway that link Victor Harbor to Granite Island. Once the hard shell of the sea urchin broke, the gull landed to pick on the soft tissues.

Pacific Gulls feed on fish, squid, molluscs, sea urchins, crabs and marine snails. With hard-shelled organisms such as molluscs, snails and sea urchins, the gulls use the above strategy to get at the flesh inside.

Teo Lee Wei & K
Singapore
July 2013