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gull

gull

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

gull common name for an aquatic bird of the family Laridae, which also includes the tern and the jaeger . It is found near all oceans and many inland waters. Gulls are larger and bulkier than terns, and their tails are squared rather than forked. Their plumage is usually white with gray or black markings on the back, wings, and head. Their long, narrow wings are adapted to soaring and their webbed feet to swimming. They have strong bills, hooked at the end; they eat clams and fish and sometimes insects, but are most useful as scavengers in harbors and bays. They are often seen hovering over the wakes of ships, seeking refuse, and frequenting garbage dumps. The common gull—called sea gull in North America—is the herring gull Larus argentatus smithsonianus, a subspecies of the common European gull L. argentatus. It is found on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and on the Great Lakes. The larger great black-backed gull, L. marinus, is more northern; the ring-billed, Bonaparte's, and laughing gull are smaller. The Franklin's gull of the Great Plains is called the "prairie dove." The California and western gulls are common on the Pacific coast. The kittiwake is a small oceanic gull of the genus Rissa, seldom seen on land. The lesser black-backed and little gulls are European. Gulls are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Charadriiformes, family Laridae.

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gull

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

gull (seagull) Any of various ground-nesting birds found along coastlines. They eat carrion, refuse, fish, shellfish, eggs, and young birds. The herring gull (Larus argentatus) is grey and white with black markings, hooked bill, pointed wings and webbed feet. It grows to 56–66cm (22–26in). The black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus) is smaller, with black feathers on its head in summer. Family Laridae.
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gull

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

gull1 / gəl/ • n. a long-winged, web-footed seabird (Larus and other genera, family Laridae) with a raucous call, typically having white plumage with a gray or black mantle. gull2 • v. [tr.] fool or deceive (someone): workers had been gulled into inflicting poverty and deprivation upon themselves. • n. a person who is fooled or deceived.

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gull

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

gull1 (dial.) unfledged bird; gosling. XIV. prob. sb. use of †gull yellow (- ON. gulr).
Hence, perh. partly the use of gull for ‘credulous person, dupe’ (late XVI), but cf. the somewhat earlier gull vb. dupe, cheat, surviving in gullible XIX, which itself may be a transf. use of †gull vb. swallow (XVI), rel. to †gull sb. throat, gullet (XV) — OF. go(u)le (see GULLET).
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T. F. HOAD. "gull." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "gull." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-gull.html

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Gull

A Dictionary of First Names | 2006 | | Copyright

Gull ♀ (Scandinavian) Pet form of the various women's names of Old Norse origin derived from guð ‘god’ or gull ‘gold’. It is often found in Swedish compound names such as Gull-Britt, Gull-Lis, and Gull-Maj.
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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Gull." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Gull." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Gull.html

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Gull." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Gull.html

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gull

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Copyright

gull a credulous person, a dupe, a fool, possibly a transferred used of the word meaning ‘an unfledged bird’.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "gull." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "gull." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-gull.html

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gull

The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military | 2001 | Copyright

gull n. in electronic warfare, a floating radar reflector used to simulate a surface target at sea for deceptive purposes.
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"gull." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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gull

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

gull2 long-winged web-footed sea-bird. XV. prob. — W. gwylan, Cornish guilan :- Celt. *voilenno-.
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T. F. HOAD. "gull." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "gull." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-gull1.html

T. F. HOAD. "gull." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-gull1.html

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gulls

A Dictionary of Zoology | 1999 | | Copyright

gulls See CHARADRIIFORMES; LARIDAE.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "gulls." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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gull

The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea | 2006 | Copyright

gull, see seabird.
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gull

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

gull •annul, cull, dull, gull, hull, lull, mull, null, scull, skull, Solihull, trull, Tull •seagull • multihull • monohull •numbskull • Elul

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

GULLS.
Magazine article from: New York State Conservationist; 6/1/1999
Gull power is taking over the streets.(News)
Newspaper article from: Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales); 5/28/2003
On gull patrol It takes a patient birderto identify this varied...
Newspaper article from: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL); 3/28/2012

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