Do seagulls hunt ducks? That’s a crazy question, but that was the first thing that came to mind when a Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) started aggressively chasing a Hooded Merganser duck (Lophodytes cucullatus) with what appeared to be hostile intent.
I was walking along Cameron Run, a tributary of the Potomac River, when the scene started to unfold in front of me. The gull flew toward the dusk with its legs extended, like it was trying to snatch the duck out of the water. The duck immediately started bounding across the water (as you can see in the third photos) in an effort to escape the gull, but did not take to the air. When the duck got close to the bank of the stream, the gull turned away and left the duck in peace.
Was this merely a cranky gull or maybe a bully? Was it a territoriality thing? All I know is that it provided me a fascinating moment as I treated to a brief interaction between these two very different species of birds.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Nice catch. I’ve never seen that before. I’m thinking territory but would love to know the reason.
There were lots of gulls, so it didn’t seem likely to me at first that it was a territory issue, but who knows.
being in the right place at the right time.. I’ve not seen gulls go after Mergansers, just Mallards.. seems like territory to me as well but you never know.
Or did the duck have something the gull wanted? Gulls are known for stealing food from other birds or each other.
I hadn’t thought about that, Sue. The Hooded Mergansers were diving and maybe food was the motivation.
Ah yes, gulls are food thieves, that does seem a more likely reason.
Mike, Nice sequence. I have seen a gull go after a female hooded merganser who had caught a crayfish on a couple of occasions. Even when the merganser came up from a dive empty handed the gull would swoop in just in case she had caught something.
I think that you are on to something, Mike. In this case, the gull flew away after the incident, so it seems that he didn’t get whatever he was going after.
Maybe next time Mister gull.
I suppose you always have to look out for creatures bigger than you. That is fun to watch.
The situation made me think of Phil Lanoue and the photos he takes of eagles forcing ospreys to give up their freshly caught fish (though my photos are not in the same class as his). It’s tough knowing there is someone above you in the food chain.
That’s exactly why I was thinking about when I saw your post.
Great action pictures, Mike. I live on the coast, and watch the gulls and ducks and other shore birds a lot. My casual experience is sea gulls are usually pretty cranky, and moody. But I’ve never seen one particularly aggressive against a duck! I would say the gull just felt the duck was in HIS domain, and needed encouragement to leave!
Thanks. I think the duck got the message. I am happy that I was quick enough to react to get these shots. I was trying to shoot some images of the Hooded Mergansers, which were pretty far away, when the situation developed.
I didn’t know that ducks ate crayfish. It makes sense that a seagull would go after a duck for food.
Gulls often prey on ducklings. Occasionally, a duck will kill a gull in the act. There may well be some individual hostility between these birds from events past.
Interesting. I haven’t had a chance to see many interactions between the two species of birds (this was the first time), so it was hard to figure out what was going on. Thanks for your insights.
I have witnessed the same thing. A sea gull going after a male common merganser on a lake in central NY. Yesterday and today.
That’s awesome to hear. I never know for sure if the activities of the creatures that I observe and photograph are normal or not. I don’t know if it is a sense of territoriality or a desire not to have to compete or what, but it is always fascinating to see the interactions of different species.