Way off topic - Seagulls missing feet or legs

I was at Cedar Point a week or so ago and me and my niece sat down to eat near Blue Streak. Of course there were a bunch of seagulls begging for food and she noticed one was missing half of one of its legs and was balancing on one foot. I figured that was probably pretty rare but we then saw another one with the same problem in the same area. Any guesses on how that happens to seagulls at Cedar Point? I figure it must not be that unusual since we saw 2 in 5 minutes. They basically had half of the leg left and were missing a foot. Pretty sad to watch but at least they can fly too

They're surrounded by huge, fast moving machines that could easily do it. If a seagull flies into a coaster or ride...

I've noticed some gulls like this before, too. I feel bad, but they all look healthy.

Sometimes it's a birth defect and sometimes it's injury related. If the bird is past its chick feathers (the dark grey feathers) then it's doing just fine. Animals adapt remarkably well to deformities. If they didn't, it'd just be another case survival of the fittest.

Whether it's an injury or a deformity it makes sense to see more birds with the condition at Cedar Point because with all the food available they don't have to work as hard to survive as they would somewhere else. The only predators would be cats and dogs on the chausee so as long as they stick to the park and the parking lot they have it made.

I've seen a few without beaks, too. Freaky little bastards.

Paisley said:
Whether it's an injury or a deformity it makes sense to see more birds with the condition at Cedar Point because with all the food available they don't have to work as hard to survive as they would somewhere else.

Yes, funnel cakes and fries are fantastic for a bird's diet.

...and I thought it was from all the radiation from Davis Besse!

Lol...Sass...

Best Seagull ever

Gravity said:
I've seen a few without beaks, too. Freaky little bastards.

Since you worked WT also, during down time or before opening, did you sometimes watch the seagulls that fly over the lake do a nose dive into water to cool themselves off sometimes? It was the funniest thing to watch.

Still loved feeding Sass and her friends chili cheese fries over in Stockade...fun times :)