Seagulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns (family Sternidae) and only distantly related to auks, and skimmers, and more distantly to the waders. Most gulls however, belong to the large family named Larus. The word Larus is from the Greek word meaning “ravenous sea bird.”
Drop a broken up loaf of bread down near the beach and ravenous takes on a whole new meaning.