Gulls, often referred to as
seagulls, are
seabirds of the
family Laridae in the suborder
Lari. They are most closely related to the
terns (family Sternidae) and only distantly related to
auks,
skimmers, and more distantly to the
waders. Until the 21st century, most gulls were placed in the
genus Larus, but this arrangement is now known to be
polyphyletic, leading to the resurrection of several
genera. An older name for gulls is
mew, cognate with German
Möwe, Danish
måge, Dutch
meeuw, and French
mouette; this term can still be found in certain regional dialects.
