From Opus

Photo by Askar Isabekov
Tbilisi, Georgia, March 2007

Larus armenicus

[edit] Identification

A large gull with coloration typical of the genus. The bill is short with a notable black band just before the tip.
First-winter birds are mainly brown. They have a whitish rump, pale inner primary feathers and a narrow, sharply-defined black band on the tail.

Photo by Meir A. Meir

[edit] Similar Species

Slightly smaller than Yellow-legged Gulls and have a slightly darker grey back and dark eyes. The area of black on the wingtips is more extensive with smaller white spots.

[edit] Distribution

Georgia, Armenia, Turkey and western Iran.

The largest known breeding site, containing thousands of Armenian Gulls, is on an island at Lake Sevan, Armenia.

A partial migrant with many birds wintering to the Red Sea and on the coasts of Turkey, Lebanon and Israel. Some go to Cyprus, Egypt and the Persian Gulf.

[edit] Taxonomy

Monotypic^[1]

Formerly classified as a subspecies of the Herring Gull, it is now generally considered to be a separate species.

This taxon is considered a subspecies of Yellow-legged Gull by some authors^[2]

[edit] Habitat

Mountain lakes.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Breeding

Colonial nesters. Three eggs are laid on a mound of vegetation beside water or on an island, usually in late April. Territorial conflicts are common, due to the closeness of the nests.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. Avibase
3. Wikipedia

• List of references

[edit] Further Reading

• A Field Guide to Birds of Armenia

M. S. Adamian and D. Klem, Jr. 1997. 223 pages, 61 color plates. ISBN 0-9657429-2-1 Hard Cover or ISBN 0-9657429-1-1 Flexible Lexatone Field Cover

• Handbook of the Birds of Armenia

M. S. Adamian and D. Klem, Jr. 1999. 656 pages. ISBN 0-9657429 Hard Cover

[edit] External Links