What Is a Group of Seagulls Called? Not a Parliament or Murder

The most widely accepted term is a flock of seagulls. That’s the same word used for many other birds, like ducks, sparrows and gulls in general.

But when seagulls gather in larger or more chaotic numbers, they can also be called a colony. This term is often used during breeding season, when seabirds like gulls and guillemots form dense nesting communities.

The English language loves its collective nouns. Over centuries, people coined whimsical or poetic terms for groups of animals: a parliament of owls, a murder of crows, a gaggle of geese.

These words often reflected behavior, habitat or human interpretation. For example, a group of starlings moving in unison is called a "murmuration," a nod to their stunning flight patterns.

Birds have some of the most colorful collective nouns around. You’ll find:

Seagulls, more accurately known as gulls, are part of the larger group of sea fowl. This includes pelicans, cormorants, and albatrosses.

Like many other birds, they’re often observed in flocks, especially when near food sources or during migration.

While they don’t have a one-of-a-kind collective noun like some species (no "squabble of seagulls" here—yet), their behavior still puts them in the mix with pigeons, terns, and sandpipers.

During the breeding season, seagulls often form tight-knit colonies. These large groups offer safety in numbers from predators and allow gulls to collectively raise chicks by collectively warding off predators.

This is similar to other sea birds such as guillemots, which nest in large, dense colonies. When not breeding, gulls may still stick together in flocks for food or travel, making them a familiar sight along coastlines and city dumps alike.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.