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Difference between revisions of "Brown-headed Gull" - BirdForum Opus

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(Some extra info. Video link. References updated)
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''Larus brunnicephalus''
 
''Larus brunnicephalus''
 
==Identification==
 
==Identification==
42cm. A two-year gull, similar to [[Black-headed Gull]] and often best told apart in flight:
+
41–45 cm (16-17¾ in). A two-year gull, similar to [[Black-headed Gull]] and often best told apart in flight:
 
====Adult====
 
====Adult====
 
* Grey upperwing and broad white primary base, creating white half-moon against black wing-tip with prominent white mirrors
 
* Grey upperwing and broad white primary base, creating white half-moon against black wing-tip with prominent white mirrors
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Marshes, reedbeds, lakes.
 
Marshes, reedbeds, lakes.
 
==Behaviour==
 
==Behaviour==
 +
====Diet====
 +
They have a very wide ranging diet; live prey consisting of fish, shrimps, insects, slugs, worms and rodents. They also eat offal and visit sewage farms. Plant material such as shoots and potatoes are also included.
 
====Breeding====
 
====Breeding====
 
It nests on the ground.
 
It nests on the ground.
 
==References==
 
==References==
#{{Ref-Clements6thDec09}}#Avibase
+
#{{Ref-Clements6thAug15}}#Avibase
 +
#Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved February 2016)
 
#Wikipedia
 
#Wikipedia
 
{{ref}}
 
{{ref}}
 
==External Links==
 
==External Links==
 
{{GSearch|Gull+brunnicephalus}}  
 
{{GSearch|Gull+brunnicephalus}}  
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<br />
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{{Video|Black_Crowned_Night_Heron}}
  
 
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[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Chroicocephalus]] [[Category:Videos]]
[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Chroicocephalus]]
 

Revision as of 20:50, 5 February 2016

Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus
Adult Breeding plumage
Photo by peterday
Bang Poo, Bangkok, Thailand, April 2010

Larus brunnicephalus

Identification

41–45 cm (16-17¾ in). 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

Adult non-breeding plumage
Photo by Don Gato
Bang Poo, Thailand, November 2007
  • 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

First summer (2 CY)
Photo by Rakesh
Sewri Flatlands, Mumbai, India, March 2007

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

Diet

They have a very wide ranging diet; live prey consisting of fish, shrimps, insects, slugs, worms and rodents. They also eat offal and visit sewage farms. Plant material such as shoots and potatoes are also included.

Breeding

It nests on the ground.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Avibase
  3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved February 2016)
  4. Wikipedia

Recommended Citation

External Links


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