Seagull, wet beach, pink purple sunset sky, ocean waves

Bird meets beach

Did you know the name 'seagull' doesn't refer to any specific bird? More properly just called gulls, the scavenging coastal flyers we commonly call seagulls are various members of the avian family Laridae. And the world of gulls is a crowded one: The planet is populated (overrun, some beleaguered beachgoers might say) with no fewer than 50 gull species. Gulls populate shores of all climates, from the Arctic to the Antarctic to the tropics—so it's a wonder our lucky gull pal got this wide Queensland beach all to itself. After all, while these social birds rarely lack for company, we all need some me time now and then.