- Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus
Larus brunnicephalus
Identification
42cm. A two-year gull, similar to Black-headed Gull and often best told apart in flight:
Adult
- Grey upperwing and broad white primary base, creating white half-moon against black wing-tip with prominent white mirrors
- Red bill and legs, very dark when breeding
- White eye, white eyelids
- Dark brown hood, often paler towards face. In winter white head with dark-brown spots in front, above and behind the eye
- White tail
Juvenile
- Upperwing similar to Black-headed Gull but with solid black wing-tips and white restricted to streaks on inner primaries and primary coverts dark-streaked
First winter (August to January)
- Bill darker orange red than Black-headed Gull
- Wing-coverts with slightly broader pale edges
- Wing similar than juvenile
First summer (January to August)
- Almost looking like adult in winter (unlike other two-year gulls)
- More uniform black wing-tips than adults, white half-moon less distinctive
Similar species
Similar to Black-headed Gull but note different wing patterns and white eye in adults. For juveniles and first-winter birds see text above.
Distribution
South-central Asia, wintering to Arabian Peninsula, India, and south-east Asia.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1] which is sometimes placed in the genus Larus[2].
Habitat
Marshes, reedbeds, lakes.
Behaviour
Breeding
It nests on the ground.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Avibase
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Brown-headed Gull. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 14 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Brown-headed_Gull