Alternative name: Grey-headed Gull
- Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
Larus cirrocephalus
Identification
Photo © by Stanley Jones
Province of Lima and the District of Chorrillos, Peru, September, 2009
38–43 cm (15-17 in). A 2-3 year gull
In breeding plumage, head and mantle about same shade of grey.
- Pale eyes
- Long bill
Distribution
South America and sub-Saharan Africa.
South America: Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Argentina
Africa:
Western Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Zaire
Eastern Africa: Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi
Southern Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe
South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal
African Islands: Gulf of Guinea Islands; Bioko (Fernando Po), Madagascar
Taxonomy
This species is sometimes placed in genus Larus.
Subspecies
There are 2 subspecies[1]:
- C. c. cirrocephalus is found in South America including Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, and Argentina.
- C. c. pioicephalus is found in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar.
Habitat
On or near water, both coastal and inland.
Behaviour
May utilize fields worked by a farmer. Can also fly over water and plunge in to catch prey.
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of fish, eggs and invertebrates. They also scavenge at rubbish dumps.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Restall et al. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
- Ber van Perlo. 2009. A field guide to the Birds of Brazil. Oxford University Press, New York, NY, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-530155-7
- Erize et al. 2006 Birds of South America, non-passerines. Princeton Illustrated Checklists, Princeton, New Jersey, USA. ISBN 0-691-12688-7
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved June 2014)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Gray-hooded Gull. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Gray-hooded_Gull
External Links
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