Herring Gull

Nesting Preference: Gulls prefer to nest along shorelines, on islands in lakes and occasionally, in low trees. They occur in large colonies with other birds such as cormorants or terns. The nest is a hollow in the ground, sometimes lined with grass or debris. A colony of Ring-billed and Herring gulls on a Toronto island/peninsula has numbered as many as 850,000 pairs.
In recent years, the gulls have become abundant, most likely because of the availability of food at garbage dumps. This bird is a scavenger, but also eats a large number of aquatic and marine animals and feeds on berries. These birds are protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act.