- Larus michahellis
Identification
Grey back, black wing tips with few white spots, red spot on the bill as adults, red ring around the eye.
First-year birds have a dark bill and eyes, pinkish grey legs, dark flight feathers and a well-defined black band on the tail. By their second winter, birds are essentially feathered like adults, apart from the patterned feathers remaining on the wing coverts. However, their billtips are black, their eyes still dark, and the legs are a light yellow.
ID discussion on how to distinguish Caspian (L. cachinnans) and Yellow-legged Gull (L. michahellis and L. m. atlantis).
Distribution
Taxonomy
Caspian Gull is included by some authorities in Yellow-legged Gull. The scientific name for the species would then be Larus cachinnans.
Subspecies of the Yellow-legged Gull:
- L. m. michahellis
- Breeds in the Mediterranean
- L. m. atlantis
- Breeds on Atlantic shores adjacent to the Mediterranean.
Habitat
Fields and coasts.
Behaviour
They are scavengers and hunt suitable small prey in fields or on the coast, or rob plovers or lapwings of their catches.
They breed in colonies. The nest is a mound of vegetation built on the ground or on cliff ledges. 3 eggs are laid and are incubated for 27-31 days; the young fledge after 35-40 days.
References
- Clements JF. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
- Dickinson EC (ed.) 2003. The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. 3rd ed. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. ISBN 9780691117010
- Sibley CG & Monroe BL. 1996. Birds of the World, on diskette, Windows version 2.0. Charles G. Sibley, Santa Rosa, CA, USA.
External Links
