Thin-billed gull
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Thin-billed gull ( Chroicocephalus genei ) |
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| Chroicocephalus genei | ||||||||||
| ( Breme , 1839) |
The thin-billed gull ( Chroicocephalus genei , Syn . : Larus genei ) is a small species of gull . The scientific name commemorates the Italian natural scientist Giuseppe Gené . Like most seagulls, it is very sociable.
The thin-billed gull is native to Europe mainly in the Mediterranean area. Since the 1990s, however, thin-billed gulls have been observed increasingly in Central Europe and there are indications of oversummer. This is presumably a consequence of an area expansion and an increase in the species in their Mediterranean breeding areas.
features
The thin-billed gull becomes 39 to 47 centimeters long and reaches a maximum wingspan of 97 centimeters. In contrast to the black-headed gull , which it is very similar to, it does not have a dark head, but a white one. The neck, lower body and tail shimmer slightly pink in summer, the wings and back are gray. The wings have black ends and the tail is banded in black and white. The thin, delicate beak and feet are red.
Fledglings have a gray upper side, a white underside and gray spots on the crown and neck. The beak is yellow-orange, the feet yellow. The tip of the white tail is black.
Thin-billed gulls swim with a long, slanted head and slightly lowered beak, which clearly distinguishes them from the black-headed gull.
distribution
The thin-billed gull lives on the south coast of the Mediterranean Sea , in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula , in the Aegean Sea, on the Red Sea , on the Persian Gulf , around the Black Sea , around the Caspian Sea , on the Aral Sea , in Turkey , Iran , and Balochistan Sindh . Most birds migrate further south to North Africa and India and some also to Western Europe during the winter .
It is not a pelagic species and is rarely seen in the open sea far from the coast. To search for food, she looks for mud flats and marshland as well as pastures and grasslands. Outside of the breeding season, it lives almost exclusively close to the coast in shallow waters and salt pans. It is rarely seen in port areas or on fresh water.
nutrition
The thin-billed gull feeds mainly on small fish . In addition, insects and various crustaceans are also included.
Reproduction
Their breeding grounds include lagoons, small islands near the coast, and salt lakes.
The nest spacing is usually less than a meter, sometimes only 20 cm. The thin-billed gull is sexually mature at two years of age. It is a ground breeder and lays two to three eggs in a colony in dug out sand or clay hollows.
Duration
The European breeding population is estimated at 37,000 to 56,000 breeding pairs. The largest populations were at the beginning of the 21st century in Ukraine, where about 25,000 to 40,000 breeding pairs lived, in Russia (2,000 to 3,000 breeding pairs), Turkey (3,800 to 5,500 breeding pairs) and Italy (3,900 breeding pairs).
supporting documents
literature
- Hans-Günther Bauer, Einhard Bezzel and Wolfgang Fiedler (eds.): The compendium of birds in Central Europe: Everything about biology, endangerment and protection. Volume 1: Nonpasseriformes - non-sparrow birds , Aula-Verlag Wiebelsheim, Wiesbaden 2005, ISBN 3-89104-647-2
- Gerald Tuck, Hermann Heinzel : The sea birds of the world . Parey, Hamburg / Berlin 1980, ISBN 3-490-07818-7 .
- Peter Hayman , Rob Hume : The coastal birds of Europe . Kosmos, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-440-10570-9
Web links
- Larus genei in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed on December 22 of 2008.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Larus genei in the Internet Bird Collection