the black-headed gull ( chroicocephalus ridibundus ) is a small gull that breeds in much of europe and asia , and also in coastal eastern canada .

most of the population is migratory and winters further south , but some birds reside in the milder westernmost areas of europe .

some black-headed gulls also spend the winter in northeastern north america , where it was formerly known as the common black-headed gull .

as is the case with many gulls , it was previously placed in the genus larus .

the genus name chroicocephalus is from ancient greek khroizo , " to colour " , and kephale , " head " .

the specific ridibundus is latin for " laughing " , from ridere " to laugh " .

black - headed gull

black - headed gull <EOT> the black - headed gull is a medium - sized gull and our commonest inland gull .

the black - headed gull is a common gull in europe and is found well inland .

the black - headed gull has a multipurpose body plan . agile in the air , it’s also nimble on the ground and yet quite at home paddling on the water . black - headed gull & great black - headed gull

description : black - headed gull is a widespread species , very noisy and opportunist feeder .

predators and anti - predators of the black - headed gull ( larus ridibundus l . )

a common gull of the old world , black - headed gull is a rare , but regular visitor to eastern north america .

build up your gull id skills by learning to recognise two ideal reference species : common gull and herring gull .

common black - headed gull , chroicocephalus ridibundus ( protonym , larus ridibundus ) , linnaeus , 1766 , also known as the ( northern ) black - headed gull , photographed at cheshire , northwest england , uk .

some aspects of reproductive behavior in the black - headed gull ( larus ridibundus l . ) and related species

seen from a distance or in poor light , the black - headed gull’s chocolate - brown head appears blackish , but the great black - headed gull ( larus ichthyaetus ) has a truly pure - jjr black head . both have white ‘eyelids , ’ but these are more striking in the larger great black - headed gull . its bill is yellow and red , with a narrow black band separating the two colors . its legs and feet are also bright yellow . the great black - headed gull is less common than the black - headed gull , breeding in scattered colonies on coastal marshes and lakes on steppes across central and southern asia . unlike the black - headed gull , most migrate to winter on the caspian sea and indian ocean .

the silver gulls seldom came within 1 metre of the black - headed gull when it was swimming . on the thursday as we initially approached , a silver gull came within half a metre ( or vice versa ) near a corner of the pond . both gulls called and the black - headed gull appeared to peck in the direction of the silver gull . after about 10 or 15 seconds the silver gull moved away . the black - headed gull appeared to be dominant .

common black - headed gull in breeding plumage , paarl bird sanctuary , south africa . [ photo trevor hardaker © ]

krigged density surfaces for black - headed gull , in the breeding season . covers uk waters and uses esas data .

the black - headed gull is one of the few hooded gulls that does not actually have a black head during breeding . its hood is dark chocolate brown .

krigged density surfaces for black - headed gull , in the non - breeding season . covers uk waters and uses esas data .

find out more about black - headed gulls on birdfacts and the wider countryside report .

black headed gulls : licence for retailers and restaurateurs to sell eggs - gov . uk

the black - headed gull is found on lakes , rivers , marshes , estuaries , bogs , moors , seacoasts , and bays .

flight : black - headed gull performs quick and active flight . it also may soar and glide , and it catches flying insects while flying .

get a general licence to sell black - headed gull eggs for human consumption if you ' re a retailer or restaurateur ( licence gl23 ) .

a hooded gull in summer is likely to be the ubiquitous black - headed gull , but there are a couple of other species that sport the same summer finery . would you be able to pick out a little or mediterranean gull from the crowd ?

all year round the adult black - headed gull has silver grey upperparts and white underparts , and dark red bill and legs . the wings have black wing - tips and a white edge along the forewing ( which separates it from the common gull ) .

embed this arkive thumbnail link ( " portlet " ) by copying and pasting the code below . < a href = " urltoken " title = " arkive species - black - headed gull ( larus ridibundus ) " > < img src = " urltoken " alt = " arkive species - black - headed gull ( larus ridibundus ) " title = " arkive species - black - headed gull ( larus ridibundus ) " border = " 0 " / > < / a >

[ 0856 ] van dijk et al . ( 2012 ) , new longevity records of black - headed gull , with comments on wear and loss of aluminium rings

black - headed gulls are the commonest inland gull , particularly in n england , scotland and wales . large colonies along the south and east coasts of england .

behaviour : black - headed gull feeds on varied food items such as aquatic and terrestrial insects , earthworms , marine invertebrates , some fish , grains and berries .

black - headed gull sometimes engages in piracy from other seabirds , and may take eggs at terns’ colonies . this species may feed alone or in noisy flocks .

on saturday 19th october 1991 , a local birder brian kane rang the broome bird observatory to report a dark headed gull at the broome sewage ponds , maybe a laughing gull in full breeding plumage . the following are the notes of the observations that i made leading up to the confirmation by the observatory wardens that the gull was in fact a black - headed gull , and the first known sighting in australia .

conservationists , including the rspb , have also expressed concerns over the impact the practice could be having on the black - headed gull population , which is in long - term decline .

the black - headed gull thrives close to humans , as it has learned to exploit the rich feeding provided by agricultural land , dumps and hand - outs in city - center parks .

this licence lets you sell the eggs of black - headed gulls ( chroicocephalus ridibundus ) if you’re a retailer or restaurateur .

the black - headed gull fitted almost all the details that we had for it except for some slight inconsistencies . these included a pale yellow eye ring rather than the whitish colour described . the legs as illustrated were much redder and brighter than the darker legs that we observed . the fact that the black - headed gull is a migrant at this time of year was a factor in its favour .

the black - headed gull ranges throughout most of europe and asia and is the most common gull in the uk , although they have been spotted in eastern canada and the northeastern united states . some populations are migratory . they tend to be found near water , sometimes plunge - diving for small fish in the wake of boats . some sources claim black - headed gulls rarely venture out to sea , which is typical for most gull species , whilst others say they winter at sea .

cantos , f . , a . alonso - gomez , m . delgado . 1994 . seasonal changes in fat and protein reserves of the black - headed gull , larus ridibundus , in relation to migration .

' black headed gull ' hand pulled 8 colour screen print by fiona hamilton . printed on fabriano printmaking paper . paper measures 25cm x 35cm . signed , titled and numbered by the artist . edition of 20 .

voice : black - headed gull is a noisy bird . the usual call is a screaming “karr” or “kreeay” , both high - pitched . we can also hear a sharp “kek - kek” when the bird is feeding .

before the fax arrived to confirm the identification , we had ruled out several species with dark hoods that we knew of because of details such as size ( little gull ) , colour ( franklin ' s gull ) , tail ( sabine ' s gull ) , windows in the primaries ( saunder ' s gull ) , and wing patterns ( laughing gull ) or a combination of many inconsistencies .

black - headed gulls ' eggs , which can sell for up to £5 each , were once the exclusive preserve of aristocrats with coastal estates .

the bird was seen by local birders on the sunday . meanwhile , bruce located a british book by vere benson which opened the possibility of the bird being a black - headed gull , but the information was extremely limited .

stienen , e . , a . brenninkmeijer . 1999 . keep the chicks moving : how sandwich terns can minimize kleptoparasitism by black - headed gulls .

this gull is widespread in britain , in inland areas as well as by the coast ( 5 ) . the black - headed gull is particularly common at inland sites in north england , scotland and wales ( 3 ) . in winter the british population is augmented by birds from continental europe ( 5 ) . this gull has a wide global breeding range that extends through the palaearctic ( 4 ) .

on the bank there appeared to be no interaction between the gulls , even though on the saturday two silver gulls were standing within half a metre of the black - headed gull allowing us a very good comparison of size and colour .

the scarcer mediterranean gull is very similar in appearance , but is a paler grey , lacks the black wing tips , has blood - red bill and legs and a truly black head that extends from the nape into the neck .

diet : black - headed gull feeds on both aquatic and terrestrial insects and invertebrates , some fish , variety of grains and berries . it takes offal from fishing boats and refuse inland . it may steal food from other gulls by harassment .

the black - headed gull is a rare visitor to north america , turning up in small numbers along the northern atlantic coast . records began to increase in the mid - 1900s , and the first nesting attempt was discovered in newfoundland in 1977 .

black - headed gulls are omnivorous birds , consuming insects , small fish and berries . they also eat earthworms and other invertebrates stirred up by plows tilling fields .

we often see black - headed gulls flying overhead , circling on thermals , or flying in search of them , but none have ever landed in the garden .

black - headed gull is territorial as numerous gulls’ species . the size of the territory depends on the size of the species and the number of pairs . during disputes , the dark hood is aggressive feature , whereas the white nape means the submission .

range : black - headed gull breeds in most parts of europe and asia , but also in coastal eastern canada . the most part of populations are migratory and move southwards in winter . but other populations of the westernmost of europe are resident or dispersive .

with a world population of more than three million , the black - headed gull is abundant . it faces no severe threats — the only dangers to nesting birds are flooding , predation of eggs and young by mammals , and egg - harvesting by humans .

nuyets , e . , a . buit , e . van der zee . 1996 . the influence of age on the acquirement of a perch in the black - headed gull ( larus ridibundus l . ) : new data and a review of the literature .

however , conservationists disagree . black - headed gulls have been given an " amber " status by the rspb , meaning it is a species of " conservation concern " .

the black - headed gull is a small gull . it is 13 - 15 inches in length with a wingspan of 39 - 42 inches . it has a red bill , a white belly and breast , a soft - gray back , red legs and feet , and gray wings tipped in black . in breeding season , it has a dark brown face and head . in winter , its head and face are white , and it has a black spot on each side of its head . males and females look alike .

the black - headed gull breeds throughout much of europe and asia , typically in april and may . they construct a shallow scrape on the ground , and line it with a few feathers and vegetation . the female lays 2 - 3 eggs and both parents tend the chicks .

black - headed gulls only have dark heads during the breeding season . during the winter , they have white heads with dark brown smudges on the sides . © moss taylor / bto

reproduction : breeding season starts in late march , and egg - laying occurs in late april and may . black - headed gull nests in colonies of several tens of pairs ( sometimes more ) . nests are built about one metre apart from each other , and they can often touch .

the black - headed gull is found in extreme northeastern canada and in greenland , iceland , and northern europe and asia . it winters in the southern regions of its breeding grounds south to africa and asia . in the united states , it is sometimes found along the atlantic coast in winter .

protection / threats / status : populations of black - headed gulls are important . some declines and increases are observed according to the range , but this species is not threatened at this moment .

the black - headed gull is classified as least concern ( lc ) on the iucn red list ( 1 ) . included in the birds of conservation concern green list ( low conservation concern ) ( 3 ) . receives general protection in great britain under the wildlife and countryside act ( 4 ) .

in europe the black - headed gull is found scavenging in flocks in parks , but it is rarely found in this situation in north america . perhaps this difference is because it usually is found associating with large flocks of bonaparte ' s gulls , which do not eat refuse or scavenge food from people .

groothuis , t . , l . van mulekom . 1991 . the influence of social experience on the ontogenetic change in the relation between aggression , fear and display behaviour in black - headed gulls .

the black - headed gull nests in colonies . the nest is usually a scrape lined with vegetation and shells . the female lays 1 - 3 eggs and incubates them for 22 - 26 days . both parents care for and feed the chicks . the chicks fledge when they are 35 - 42 days old .

prevot - julliard , a . , r . pradel , j . lebreton , f . cezilly . 1998 . evidence for birth - site tenacity in breeding common black - headed gulls , larus ridibundus .

black - headed gulls mainly feed on animal material such as insects and earthworms but they will also take plant material and household waste . rubbish tips can become favoured foraging sites , as can newly ploughed fields .

the black - headed gull is an extremely successful species , adapting to man - made change to its environment very well . the species has to be controlled in some areas as they harass and predate higher risk species . nonetheless , there numbers have declined sharply in recent years and so they are now amber list species of conservation concern .

not really a black - headed bird , more chocolate - brown - in fact , for much of the year , it has a white head . it is most definitely not a ' seagull ' and is found commonly almost anywhere inland . black - headed gulls are sociable , quarrelsome , noisy birds , usually seen in small groups or flocks , often gathering into larger parties where there is plenty of food , or when they are roosting .

black - headed gulls are generally regarded as being one of the easiest gulls to identify . during the breeding season they sport a dark brown head , although during the winter this is reduced to a smudge behind the eye .

on monday , the black - headed gull spent most of its time swimming and feeding . we disturbed it several times by approaching too close . most times it landed on the bank with the silver gulls , or back on the pond . once it flew less than 100m to a shallower pond , and then back again when it was disturbed there .

black - headed gulls were rare inland over 100 years ago . however , they now use inland sites for breeding , roosting and foraging and are the gull species most commonly seen in urban and suburban gardens . inland breeding colonies can range from fewer than 10 pairs to over 20 , 000 and are found throughout the country , including in central london .

juveniles of this small two - year gull species are identified by the reddish plumage on their upperparts and their pale yellow bill with a black tip ( yeah , i know you can ' t see the bill in this picture ) .

male ring ouzels are particularly distinctive with their black plumage with a pale wing panel and striking white breast band .

there are 47 gull species in the family laridae . most gulls have pale plumages ( gray above and white below ) , but the ivory gull ( pagophila eburnea ) is all - white and ross’s gull ( rhodostethia rosea ) has pink underparts . gulls live at sea or in wetland habitats and nest in colonies . relatives include terns in the family sternidae and skuas in the family stercorariidae .

the gull swam with its head held high , frequently dipping its bill presumably to catch small prey near or just below the surface of the water . there were no noticeable mannerisms that indicated if the gull was successful or not . the gull swam laps near one side of the pond of no particular preferred length ( about 1m to 20m were observed ) and reversed direction at no particular place or for any discernible reason . the laps were shorter when we were closer . the gull made none or several dips on each lap .

versatile in feeding . searches for food while walking or swimming , or swoops down to take items from surface while flying ; sometimes catches insects in high flight . black - headed gulls also steal food from each other and from other birds .

in winter , the black - headed gull is found in a wide range of habitats including coastal marshes , farmland , rubbish tips , urban parks , gardens and playing fields ( 5 ) . usual breeding habitats include marshes , ponds , lakes , bogs , gravel pits and dry sites next to water bodies , such as sand - dunes and moorland ( 4 ) ( 3 ) .

black - headed gull are abundant , and expanding their range in europe . the north american waterbird conservation plan estimates a population of 40 breeders , and 400 non - breeders in north america , and lists them as a species of moderate concern . they rate a 15 out of 20 on the continental concern score and are not on the 2014 state of the birds watch list . back to top

despite their name , black - headed gulls don’t have black heads . during the breeding season their heads are dark chocolate brown , and in the winter they are white with dark brown smudges on the side . they have a dark red bill and legs . juveniles have brown shoulders and wing feathers , gradually gaining the adults’ grey / silver coloured wings over a couple of years .

the detailed descriptions in grant ' s paper identify the gull as being in its adult or second ( northern hemisphere ) summer plumage which it has from march to october . this makes it highly likely that the gull will moult into its non breeding winter plumage within the next few weeks .

bruce and i returned at 10 : 30am on the monday . the bird was still there and we stayed for two hours observing from within 15m at times , although i was distracted for about 30 minutes looking at yellow wagtails , etc . bruce took more photos . i spent most of the time updating the notes i made on saturday , and looking for the features mentioned by vere benson such as no windows in the primaries . we now knew that it wasn ' t a laughing gull , and the chances of it being a black - headed gull were improving .

the fax of the paper by grant made the identification very simple . it is described as easily separable from all gulls except the others in this group ( slender - billed , bonaparte ' s , grey - headed and black - headed gulls ) , the best point being the white along the leading edge of the outer wing in flight . the brown hood of summer adults is diagnostic among the west palaearctic gulls .

on thursday , stuart visited the sewage ponds at about 7 : 30am and then picked up the fax . the bird had returned , and he confirmed the details and took some photos . kira , bruce and i had been on a tour , but we visited the sewage ponds at 11 : 15am and observed the gull for 40 minutes . bruce took more photos . we confirmed the white wedge and leading edge on the top of the wing , and the dark patch under the primaries . the fax confirmed what we now knew - that the bird was a black - headed gull .

a small , dark goose - the same size as a mallard . it has a black head and neck and grey - brown back .

on thursday , the gull spent all of its time swimming and feeding . even if it flew when we approached too close , it landed back on the pond .

if the gull stays until march , it will be interesting to see if it returns to the northern hemisphere or stays on longer like the laughing gulls in cairns .

the bbo wardens kira and stuart jackson found the japanese field guide donated by a member of the japanese delegation of the jamba conference held in broome a week earlier . the black - headed gull was shown as a non - breeding migrant to japan ( and further south ) from central asia . the details that we knew matched , but there were also important details that we had not noted , and we did not know if there were any other gulls that might be possible .

the japanese field guide describes the habitat of the black - headed gull as inland waters or coastal . this gull seems to have a definite preference for the sewage ponds , this pond in particular , and even the same side of this pond . there are about 10 ponds at the sewage works , five others which appear to be identical . however , the silver gulls seem to prefer this pond and one other , although most spend their time loafing on the bank . there are many other places around broome where silver gulls congregate in numbers such as the main town oval , cable beach , the pearl coast zoo and near the crab creek mangroves .

response : this is a common black - headed gull , chroicocephalus ridibundus , in winter plumage . gulls are all placed into the taxonomic family , laridae . the smallest species take two years to reach adulthood ( known as " two - year gulls " ) , whilst medium - sized species are three - year gulls and the largest species are four - year gulls . juveniles have distinct plumages that correspond to each year , so a skilled birder can determine the age of a young bird .

habitat : black - headed gull frequents marshes , fresh and brackish ponds and lakes for breeding , but some populations may nest is relatively dry sites such as sand dunes and beaches . all year round , this species frequents a wide variety of habitats such as shallow water ( coastal or inland ) , rivers and estuaries . it may be found inland , at fairly low elevation , and within towns and cities if water is available . this species lives from temperate areas to the boreal forest edges of palaearctic .

winter plumage adults , like the individual in this photograph , have a white head with a large dark smudge behind their eyes , red bill and legs and , in flight , their long slender wings show a large white triangle on the upper leading edge . adults in breeding plumage are distinct from all other black - headed ( chroicocephalus ; from the greek chroa for colour and cephalus for head ) gulls because their heads are not black at all ; their head is a rich chocolate brown .

both sexes are similar . juvenile has buff to darker brown markings on the upperparts and upperwing coverts . tail shows black terminal band . bare parts are duller .

this is the gull most frequently seen in urban and suburban gardens and is seldom given a second thought when seen in city centres during winter . in fact this is a fascinating and quite recent development – the first black - headed gulls wintered in central london only 100 years ago . inland breeding colonies range from fewer than 10 pairs up to a staggering 20 , 000 pairs and tend to be associated with old gravel pits and sewage works . we are now in a situation where inland breeding colonies actually outnumber coastal ones .

37–43 cm ; 195–325 g ; wingspan 94–110 cm . two - year gull . the breeding adult has the frontal hood dark chocolate brown to dusky blackish , with blackish border . . .

the identification was hampered by a lack of information for what turned out to be a very easy bird to identify . the observatory would very much appreciate the ( tax deductible ) donation of reference books for the identification of international gulls , seabirds , waders , ducks , etc such as the black - headed gull , garganey , ruff ( reeve ) , little ringed plover and pacific swallow . field guides are a help , but they don ' t describe the many age variations that are possible , or details such as migration .

gardens seem to become more important for black - headed gulls during the coldest winter months of january and february because food is harder to find . however , bto garden birdwatch results show that they are increasingly visiting throughout the year . outside of winter , individuals visiting gardens are often likely to be immature , non - breeding birds from local colonies .

these gregarious birds are usually seen in flocks or small groups ( 3 ) . they feed on worms , other soil invertebrates , scraps , rubbish , carrion and fish ( 3 ) ( 5 ) . during winter , black - headed gulls roost on open water , typically fresh water , although they may occasionally make use of sheltered estuaries ( 5 ) .

burger , j . , gochfeld , m . , kirwan , g . m . , christie , d . a . & garcia , e . f . j . ( 2018 ) . black - headed gull ( larus ridibundus ) . in : del hoyo , j . , elliott , a . , sargatal , j . , christie , d . a . & de juana , e . ( eds . ) . handbook of the birds of the world alive . lynx edicions , barcelona . ( retrieved from urltoken on 9 july 2018 ) .

adult in non - breeding plumage has white head with blackish spots on the ear - coverts and two dusky blurred bands on the crown . reddish bill is black - tipped .

during the early 19th century , black - headed gulls were quite rare . however , a dramatic population increase throughout the 20th century saw their breeding population rise to over 100 , 000 pairs . while their breeding population is still growing , their winter numbers have fallen by over 30 per cent in the last 25 years and they are an amber listed bird of conservation concern .

while most of our breeding population are resident birds , it is estimated that more than two - thirds of black - headed gulls wintering in the uk have come from mainland europe . this migration happens from late summer with earlier arrivals thought to be young birds from western europe . birds often seem to be site - faithful , returning to the same place year after year .

by taking a single egg , the collectors often delay the time it takes for the gull to lay a full clutch until after the spring tides , which would otherwise swamp their nests and destroy the eggs .

is distinguished by its dark brown or grayish - black frontal hood . its eye crescents ( primarily behind the eye ) , neck , and underparts are all white as is the tail . the upper wing coverts , secondaries , inner primaries , and back are gray . the secondaries are tipped with white ; the white outer primaries have black tips and edges . other identifying characteristics of

with caution , the bird could be approached comparatively closely ( between 10m and 15m ) , especially when it was on the water . it did not appear to be disturbed when several pacific black ducks and grey teal took off close by during our initial approach . it also ignored a flock of 40 black kites , even when some kites passed overhead fairly closely ( within 10m ) .

brian had first seen the bird at about 8am . he made a note of many of the details , and then called someone in melbourne who suggested that it could be a laughing gull . brian then rang the observatory .

some recent authors place this species and other “black - headed gulls” in genus ichthyaetus ( see l . ichthyaetus ) . present species originally described as a race of l . melanocephalus , and then known only from one specimen ; subsequently suspected of being an aberrant l . brunnicephalus or a hybrid l . brunnicephalus × l . ichthyaetus . since breeding colonies discovered in 1970 , almost universally considered a distinct species . monotypic .

adaptability is key to the success ^ easily pleased of the black - headed gull , and the colonies prefer fljrt only major habitats that it can’t land near water . exploit at some stage in the year are forests and mountainous areas . breeding colonies are located on flat lowland areas or upland plateaus near calm and shallow freshwater , such as lakes , reservoirs , gravel pits or slow - moving rivers . it also breeds on both fresh - and saltwater marshes and in reedbeds , as well as on drier sites , from sand dunes to moorland . outside the breeding season , the gull flies long distances in search of food . in the north , it moves south in winter . other populations don’t disperse so far ; traveling to sheltered coastal estuaries and man - made habitats , including refuse dumps , sewage plants , gravel pits , farmland , golf courses , parks and even gardens .

in the summer , the adult has a dark chocolate brown head ( but not nape and neck ) , but in the winter it has only a small black smudge to the rear of each eye .

these gulls nest in colonies , within which pairs defend small territories . they will defend these territories from other birds using ritualised displays ( 7 ) . two to three eggs are produced which are incubated for up to 26 days . after a further 35 days the chicks will have fledged ( 3 ) . black - headed gulls are fairly long lived , with a maximum recorded life - span of 32 years ( 3 ) .

in the winter , they often form large flocks , sometimes with other gull species : roosting on lakes and reservoirs at night , feeding on farmland , fields and landfill sites in the daytime , and flying in large formations between the two .

wings in flight . there was a thin black band on the trailing edge of the outer primaries with nothing between . there was a bright white wedge on the leading edge of the primaries joining ( but not as wide as ) the black band . the white continued along the leading edge of the full wing . the remainder of the top of the wing was silver grey . there was a dark patch and smudges underneath the primaries . the remainder of the underneath was whitish .

the common name of this species is inaccurate , as adult black - headed gulls ( larus ridibundus ) have a chocolate - brown head in summer ( 5 ) . in winter , this brown hood retreats and the birds have a largely white head with a dark spot behind the eye ( 5 ) . other distinguishing features include the prominent white leading edge of the upper wing , which is visible from a fair distance , the tern - like slender wings and the reddish coloured bill and legs ( 2 ) . juveniles are different in appearance to adults ; they have ginger - brown coloured upperparts and a yellowish bill with a black tip ( 2 ) . this is a noisy species during the breeding season , producing a loud kwarr call and a short kwup ( 6 ) .

call . the call was very similar to a silver gull , although it could be distinguished when both called together . it probably had a slightly higher tone . it called once while it was preening , a couple of times as it took off , and a few times when the silver gulls were too close when it was swimming .

in the non breeding season its normal range is shown extending southwards to include parts of africa , india , the malay peninsula , sumatra ( but not java , borneo or the philippines ) and japan . it is described as the commonest gull throughout most of its range , so it is somewhat surprising that it has not been sighted in australia before .

it was difficult to approach the gull within 20m when it was on the bank , but i suspect that this was largely because the silver gulls would take off en masse . if you approached very cautiously the silver gulls took off in ones and twos . there were 40 to 100 silver gulls on the bank compared to about 10 at most on the water .

include its red legs and bill , and dark brown eyes . non - breeding adults have a white head , with only some blackish coloring on their nape . juvenile birds are recognized by the beige to darker brown markings on their back and upper wing coverts . also , they have a black terminal tail band . the species is sexually monomorphic .

if you looked for them , there were many small circular ripples on the surface of the water indicating the presence of small insects or other prey . there might possibly have been more near the bank of the pond that the gull prefers , but i made no rigorous comparison . i did not check the other ponds either . the wind did not appear to be a factor as it blew from different directions on the saturday and monday .

on wednesday , mavis russell ( a volunteer at the bbo ) and i returned to the sewage ponds at 4 : 15pm . the gull was not there and had not returned when we left at 5 : 30pm . however , it was low tide and very little else was there either . we met a local who had seen the bird at about 7am that morning . after some problems , the fax of a paper by grant in british birds arrived in the late afternoon but could not be collected .

burger , j . , gochfeld , m . , sharpe , c . j . & garcia , e . f . j . ( 2018 ) . relict gull ( larus relictus ) . in : del hoyo , j . , elliott , a . , sargatal , j . , christie , d . a . & de juana , e . ( eds . ) . handbook of the birds of the world alive . lynx edicions , barcelona . ( retrieved from urltoken on 9 july 2018 ) .

bruce ferry ( the assistant warden ) arranged to meet brian at 3pm , and i was invited along . the bird was there and we observed it from distances ranging from 50m to 20m for a period of 40 minutes before it was disturbed and left the area . the conclusion was that it may be a laughing gull ( based on the limited information in simpson & day ) , but that there were a number of details that did not seem to fit , such as the head colour and wing markings . bruce took a number of photos .

wings when not in flight . the wings were slightly but noticeably greyer than the silver gulls . there was no hint anywhere of any brown . the primaries had black tips without any windows , unlike the silver gulls . the wings crossed in a deep v when the bird was swimming . i can ' t remember if the left or the right wing was usually above the other . the bottom of the wing was sometimes partly tucked into the body feathers when the bird was on the bank .

adult in breeding plumage has dark chocolate - brown frontal hood including head , chin and throat . according to the attitude , this hood seems to vary in size . the neck is white . the upperparts , including back , upperwing coverts , secondary and inner primary feathers are grey . the secondaries are tipped white . the outer primaries are white with black tips and edges . tail is white . the underparts are white ( or with pink wash in norway populations ) . eyes are dark brown , with two white crescents . bill , legs and feet are deep red .

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one ringed individual was at least 32 . 9 years of age the last time it was re - identified [ 0856 ] . there is also an anecdotal report of a specimen living 63 years in the faroe islands [ 0444 ] , but its authenticity is dubious .

[ 1143 ] nussey et al . ( 2013 ) , senescence in natural populations of animals : widespread evidence and its implications for bio - gerontology ( pubmed )

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thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on the iucn red list of threatened species website , we are grateful for your input .

cramp , s . and simmons , k . e . l . ( eds ) . 1977 - 1994 . handbook of the birds of europe , the middle east and africa . the birds of the western palearctic . oxford university press , oxford .

ashpole , j , butchart , s . , calvert , r . , ekstrom , j . , malpas , l .

justification : this species has an extremely large range , and hence does not approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the range size criterion ( extent of occurrence < 20 , 000 km 2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size , habitat extent / quality , or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation ) . the overall population trend is not known but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the population trend criterion ( > 30 % decline over ten years or three generations ) . the population size is extremely large , and hence does not approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the population size criterion ( < 10 , 000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be > 10 % in ten years or three generations , or with a specified population structure ) . for these reasons the species is evaluated as least concern .

this species breeds in north - east north america and across much of europe and asia , excluding the north of each continent ( northern scandinavia and north russia ) , and south asia . some populations in north america and the milder areas of europe are resident , with the remaining populations wintering to the south over a large range , encompassing much of the southern coast of asia and europe , and the central and northern coast of africa ( del hoyo

its diet consists predominantly of aquatic and terrestrial insects , earthworms and marine invertebrates ( e . g . molluscs , crustaceans and marine worms ) ( del hoyo

conservation actions underway the following information refers to the species ' s european range only : the species is listed under the african eurasian waterbird agreement . within the eu it is listed on annex ii of the birds directive . within europe it is listed in 43 marine important bird areas . in the eu it is listed in 928 special protection areas . conservation actions proposed the following information refers to the species ' s european range only : management plans established for protected sites , including monitoring and enforcement from disturbance and removal of eggs .

( amended version of 2016 assessment ) . the iucn red list of threatened species 2017 : e . t22694420a111823721 .

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on tuesday , stuart phoned raou headquarters in melbourne and asked for details of any relevant gulls to be faxed .

the most noticeable aspect was that the bird never stayed still . on the water , it continually swam back and forth feeding . on the bank , it preened .

on the saturday , the bird was initially swimming with a few silver gulls , but it spent most of its time preening itself amongst a loose flock of silver gulls on the bank between two ponds . it flew back to the pond when we approached closer than 20m , and it eventually left the area altogether .

the preening of its wings and body was mostly with its bill , although on one occasion it scratched its head with its right foot . we mostly saw it preening on the saturday when we were more concerned about the details of identification rather than its behaviour .

size . when the bird was on the bank , it was approximately the same size as the silver gulls that were very close to it , or very slightly smaller if there was any difference . however , when it was swimming it appeared slightly but noticeably larger than the silver gulls , but this may have been because of its more upright posture .

head . the head was a dark chocolate brown colour mostly , although the forehead and down to the bill was lighter . the line of the edge of the hood was distinct . from the rear it was level with the eyes . from the side , the line was slightly more vertical than diagonal . from the front , the line could be clearly seen below the throat . also from behind when it was swimming , the neck appeared much thinner than the head , probably because of its upright posture .

eye ring . the bird had a pale yellow or cream coloured eye ring , although the front half ( or part of it ) was often not apparent . the eye was dark .

bill . the bill was a very deep red colour , and was similar in shape and size to the silver gulls . there was no significant difference in the colour of the tip of the bill .

legs . the legs were also a very deep red colour , very similar to the darkest leg colour of the silver gulls . they were a similar length to the silver gulls . the legs did not quite extend to the end of the tail in flight .

body . the back of the head , the front and the belly were a clean white . from memory the colour of the back in flight was silver grey , but it might have been white .

tail . the tail was a clean white above and below in flight . it was very slightly rounded and was occasionally fanned wider . the underneath of the tail appeared discoloured when the bird was swimming , but this was due to the reflection of the colour of the water .

gape . the inside of the mouth was a bright red when it opened its bill to call .

its breeding distribution is shown extending from central and southern europe ( including the uk ) through to central continental asia but not including japan .

broome is one of the most important sites in the world for migratory birds . in particular , october is near the end of the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migratory waders from the northern hemisphere representing over 30 species including asian dowitchers , redshanks and broad - billed sandpipers . october is also the beginning of the arrival of other species such as dollarbirds , yellow wagtails and barn swallows .

the sewage ponds in particular have been the site of uncommon sightings in the past at this time of year such as wood sandpipers , long - toed stints , gallinago spp snipe , little ringed plovers , garganey and a ruff ( or reeve ) .

it is therefore not surprising that a vagrant from asia or europe should be found in broome , especially at this time of the year .

please note that the gate to the sewage ponds is kept chained and locked by the local water authority . you should get permission from them before visiting . however , the wardens of the broome bird observatory have been given a key and have permission to take groups to the sewage ponds . they also have permission to visit many places on the roebuck plains cattle station which is otherwise off limits .

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seagull eggs , a delicacy highly sought after by the nation ' s top restaurants , could soon be off the menu because of a shortage of collectors .

they are now a staple of top restaurants such as wiltons , le gavroche , the ivy and le caprice , gentlemen ' s clubs such as white ' s , brooks ' s and boodle ' s , and are also sold at harrods and fortnum and mason .

the eggs are growing in popularity and around 40 , 000 eggs a year are sold in the uk . but suppliers say the industry could soon disappear .

there are about 25 people who have a licence to collect the eggs but sources in the industry say that only around a third of these , all over retirement age , are still actively involved .

natural england will only grant licences to people with a " traditional claim " , meaning that there is little chance of new collectors entering the market .

steven downey , who supplies about three - quarters of the seagulls ' eggs sold in the uk each year through his company , chefdirect , said : " given that there seems to be a reluctance to issue new licences to people , it is something that will die out .

" i know the pickers are finding it harder and harder to get licences . it feels a bit like the arguments over foxhunting . and if attitudes don ' t change , we will lose them . "

the eggs are traditionally eaten hard - boiled , with celery salt , but as they have become increasingly fashionable , so chefs have experimented more with them .

at le gavroche , in central london , this year , they will be served poached , either with artichokes , smoked salmon and caviar , or with chicken , truffles and foie gras .

emmanuel landré , manager at the restaurant , said : " at the beginning , many people are alarmed to be eating seagulls ' eggs . it is not something you expect to eat . but they are always very happy with them at the end .

" it is a very , very popular food . it makes a huge impact . i had never heard about it when i was in france . there are very strict regulations governing it . we have been serving seagulls ' eggs for 40 years and i don ' t see why we should change . "


amolops gerbillus is a species of frog found in asia .

it is native to northern and northeastern india , tibet ( china ) , and myanmar , and possibly to bhutan and nepal .

its common names include yembung sucker frog and gerbil stream frog .

it is a semi-aquatic frog occurring in hill streams .

amolops gerbillus

amolops gerbillus <EOT> amolops ( amolops ) gerbillus — dubois , 1992 , bull . mens . soc . linn . lyon , 61 : 321 .

amolops gerbillus — fei , ye , and huang , 1990 , key to chinese amph . : 165 .

dana campbell added the english common name " gerbil frog " to " amolops gerbillus ( annandale , 1912 ) " .

dana campbell added the english common name " yembung sucker frog " to " amolops gerbillus ( annandale , 1912 ) " .

dana campbell added the english common name " gerbil stream frog " to " amolops gerbillus ( annandale , 1912 ) " .

dana campbell added the english common name " small - eared torrent frog " to " amolops gerbillus ( annandale , 1912 ) " .

dana campbell added the english common name " gerbil ' s stream frog " to " amolops gerbillus ( annandale , 1912 ) " .

the reported occurrence in myanmar of this species has now been attributed to amolops bellulus .

rana gerbillus — zhao and adler , 1993 , herpetol . china : 142 .

rana ( hylorana ) gerbillus — boulenger , 1920 , rec . indian mus . , 20 : 127 - 130 .

{ author1 , author2 . . . } , ( n . d . ) . amolops gerbillus ( annandale , 1912 ) . [ online ] bhutan biodiversity portal , species page : { name of species field } available at : urltoken [ accessed date jul 10 , 2018 ] .

{ author1 , author2 . . . } , ( n . d . ) . amolops gerbillus ( annandale , 1912 ) . [ online ] india biodiversity portal , species page : { name of species field } available at : urltoken [ accessed date jul 9 , 2018 ] .

rana gerbillus annandale , 1912 , rec . indian mus . , 8 : 10 . holotype : zsic 16925 , according to dinesh , radhakrishnan , gururaja , and bhatta , 2009 , rec . zool . surv . india , occas . pap . , 302 : 69 . type locality : " yembung , abor foot - hills at an altitude of 1 , 100 . ft . " , arunachal pradesh , india ( in region claimed by china ) .

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thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on the iucn red list of threatened species website , we are grateful for your input .

frost , d . r . 2016 . amphibian species of the world : an online reference . version 6 . 0 ( 31 march 2016 ) . new york , usa . available at : urltoken .

justification : listed as least concern in view of its wide distribution , presumed large population , and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category .

this species is known from northeast india ( meghalaya , arunchal pradesh , assam , nagaland and west bengal ) . records in fei ( 1999 ) from xizang province near the border with india require confirmation . it is found at elevations of between 100 and 1 , 700m asl .

a semi - aquatic species found in hill streams . calling takes place on the stream banks and eggs are deposited on stones at the stream edge .

it is threatened by changes in water management ( dam construction ) and unspecified agricultural pollution .

this species has been recorded from dihang - dibang biosphere reserve and mouling national park ( arunachal pradesh , india ) . recent field studies including this species have been undertaken by roy ( 1999 ) , brodoli and borah ( 1998 - 2002 ) and chanda ( 1994 ) . it is protected by national legislation in india .

sushil dutta , mohammed firoz ahmed , saibal sengupta , debjani roy , sabitry bordoloi . 2004 .

to make use of this information , please check the < terms of use > .

* will not find nomina inquirenda ; use basic search ( above ) for that purpose .

will find all uses of " hyl . . . " anywhere in a record : e . g . , hylarana , hyla , hylidae , hylinae , hylaedactyla .

will find all uses of " . . . hyla " anywhere in a record : e . g . , hyla , hylidae , plectrohyla , ptychadena hylaea , adenomera hylaedactyla

will find all records that contain stand - alone uses of hyla : e . g . , hyla , hyla arenicolor

interprets this as " lithobates or pipiens " so will find the union of all records that contain either " lithobates " or " pipiens " : e . g . , lithobates omiltemanus , hylorana pipiens

interprets this as " lithobates and pipiens " so will return all records that have the character string " lithobates pipiens " anywhere within a record : e . g . , all members of the lithobates pipiens complex .

yembung sucker frog ( frank and ramus , 1995 , compl . guide scient . common names amph . rept . world : 97 ) .

gerbil stream frog ( das and dutta , 1998 , hamadryad , 23 : 64 ; dinesh , radhakrishnan , gururaja , and bhatta , 2009 , rec . zool . surv . india , occas . pap . , 302 : 68 ) .

small - eared torrent frog ( fei , 1999 , atlas amph . china : 232 ) .

gerbil frog ( chanda , 2002 , handb . indian amph . : 108 ) .

gerbil ' s stream frog ( mathew and sen , 2010 , pict . guide amph . ne india : 72 ) .

southern slope of himalayas in xizang ( china ) , northern and northeastern india ( sikkim , assam , meghalaya , nagaland , mizoram , manipur , west bengal , and arunachal pradesh ) and adjacent myanmar ; possibly in bhutan and nepal .

please note : these links will take you to external websites not affiliated with the american museum of natural history . we are not responsible for their content .

for access to available specimen data for this species , from over 350 scientific collections , go to vertnet .

copyright © 1998 - 2018 , darrel frost and the american museum of natural history . all rights reserved .

> university of california , berkeley , ca , usa . accessed jul 9 , 2018 .

> university of california , berkeley , ca , usa . accessed 9 jul 2018 .

new version of the portal has been deployed , some features are still under development and may not work temporarily .

this paper presents the state - of - the - knowledge on herpetofauna ( reptiles and amphibians ) of bhut . . .

we present the results of a rapid herpetofaunal inventory conducted in royal manas national park . . .

this report gives a summary of the status of amphibian study in bhutan and a checklist of amphib . . .

< a target = ' _ blank ' href = ' urltoken ' > iucn 2011 . iucn red list of threatened species . version 2011 . 2 . exported on 12 january 2012 < / a >

calling takes place on the stream banks and eggs are deposited on stones at the stream edge . eggs are laid on moist rocks . the tadpoles are also found clinging on rocks of the stream can move vertically or horizontally on wet rocks with the help of adhesive sucker .

describes reproductive physiology and behavior , including mating and life history variables . includes cues , strategies , restraints , rates .

describes average size , max , range ; type of size ( perimeter , length , volume , weight . . . ) .

depressed head and rounded snout . canthus rostralis is very distinct ; tympanum is distinct and round . fingers are slender , free and with a large disc at tip ; toes are with large disc , and toes are almost completely webbed . skin is feebly granulated . dorsally greenish , marbled with black . on the fore and hind limbs there are irregular pattern of alternate and pale cross bands . . tympanum is dark brown is colour . ventrally the skin is pale yellow or white

describes the general appearance of the taxon ; e . g body plan , shape and color of external features , typical postures . may be referred to as or include habit , defined as the characteristic mode of growth or occurrence associated to its environment , particularly for plants . comprising its size , shape , texture and orientation . example : tree , shrubs , herbs . may also be referred to include anatomy .

this species is found round the year , in and around hilly stream and waterfalls with rocky base . the species of frog can stick vertically on rocks and can easily move up the rock of the stream .

relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment . variables of interest to ecologists include the composition , distribution , amount ( biomass ) , number , and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems .

it occupies terrestrial and freshwater habitat . they are seen in numbers in the crevices of the rocks of the streams which are kept wet by sprinkling water of the stream .

general description of the sites where the species is found ( ecosystem , forest , environment or microhabitat ) . includes realm ( e . g terrestrial etc ) and climatic information ( e . g boreal ) ; also includes requirements and tolerances ; horizontal and vertical ( altitudinal ) distribution . also includes information referring to territorial extension of the individual or group in terms of its activities ( feeding , mating , etc . ) , associated mostly to vertebrates .

enumerates geographic entities where the taxon lives . covers ranges , e . g . , a global range , or a narrower one ; may be biogeographical , political or other ( e . g . , managed areas like conservencies ) ; endemism ; native or exotic . does not include altitudinal distribution , which is covered under habitat .

dr . chandra barooah & lani sarma ( 2016 ) assam science technology and environment council .

includes abundance information ( population size , density ) and demographics ( e . g . age stratification ) .

describes the likelihood of the species becoming extinct in the present day or in the near future . population size is treated under population biology , and trends in population sizes are treated under trends . however , this is the preferred element if an object includes all of these things and details about conservation listings .

it is threatened by changes in water management ( dam construction ) , mining and unspecified agricultural pollution .

frost , darrel r . 2016 . amphibian species of the world : an online reference . version 6 ( 03 - 04 - 2017 ) . electronic database accessible at urltoken american museum of natural history , new york , usa .

diversity and distribution of herpetofauna and evaluation of their conservation status in the barail . . .

a herpetofaunal inventory of barail wildlife sanctuary and adjacent regions , assam , north - eastern indi . . .

an inventory of amphibian and reptiles from the barail wildlife sanctuary and its surroundi . . .

this document is no longer available on zsi website so hosting it here . ,

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scientists aim to describe a single ' tree of life ' that reflects the evolutionary relationships of living things . however , evolutionary relationships are a matter of ongoing discovery , and there are different opinions about how living things should be grouped and named . eol reflects these differences by supporting several different scientific ' classifications ' . some species have been named more than once . such duplicates are listed under synonyms . eol also provides support for common names which may vary across regions as well as languages .

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frost , darrel r . 2004 . amphibian species of the world : an online reference . version 3 . 0 ( 22 august , 2004 ) . electronic database accessible at urltoken american museum of natural history , new york , usa

amphibian species of the world : an online reference v5 . 3 , database ( version 5 . 3 )

frost , darrel r . 2009 . amphibian species of the world : an online reference . version 5 . 3 ( 12 february , 2009 ) . electronic database accessible at urltoken american museum of natural history , new york , usa

disclaimer : itis taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available , and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties . however , it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes . while every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up - to - date information available , ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the united states is a party , wildlife statutes , regulations , and any applicable notices that have been published in the federal register . for further information on u . s . legal requirements with respect to protected taxa , please contact the u . s . fish and wildlife service .

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