BLACK-HEADED GULL (कालशीर्ष धोमरा)
CLASSIFICATION : PHYLUM Chordata
CLASS Aves
ORDER Charadriiformes
FAMILY Laridae
GENUS Chroicocephalus
IUCN Status : Least Concern (LC)
SCIENTIFIC NAME : Chroicocephalus ridibundus
GROUP : A Flock
DISTRIBUTION : South Greenland and Iceland through most of Europe and Central Asia to Kamchatka, extreme SE
Russia (Ussuriland) and NE China (Heilongjiang); marginal in E North America (extreme SE Canada and adjacent NE
USA). Winters S to W & E Africa, India, and SE Asia.
HABITAT : Temperate zone, boreal forests of Palearctic, prefer low altitudes, near calm, shallow water of coastal or
inland waters. Commonly found in harbours and around sewage outfalls. Farmland, ricefields.
IDENTIFICATION : size 37–43 cm, weight 195–325 g, wingspan 94–110 cm. The breeding adult has the frontal
hood dark chocolate brown to dusky blackish, with blackish border; white eye-crescents, mainly behind eyes, neck
white; underparts white, but in some populations adults have pink bloom on underparts. Upperwing-coverts grey, tail
white. Bill and legs dark red; eye dark brown. Non-breeding adult has white head, but retains a dusky spot on ear-
coverts and some blackish clouding on nape. Juvenile has extensive rich buff to darker brown markings on
upperparts
and upperwing-coverts; black terminal band to tail; bare parts duller.
DIET : Opportunistic. Diet may include large quantities of aquatic and terrestrial insects as well as earthworms
and marine invertebrates , and to lesser extent fish. Plant material includes fruits and seeds from trees and shrubs in
summer.
BREEDING : Lay eggs in late April and May. Solitary nesting generally rare. Preference for nesting near vegetation.
1–3 eggs; incubation 22–26 days; chick warm buff, boldly spotted with irregular black blotches on back and wings.
SOUNDS : "krreeaarh" , a short "kek" or "kekekek" .
BROWN-HEADED GULL (भूरा सिर धोमरा)
CLASSIFICATION : PHYLUM Chordata
CLASS Aves
ORDER Charadriiformes
FAMILY Laridae
GENUS Chroicocephalus
IUCN Status : Least Concern (LC)
SCIENTIFIC NAME : Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus
GROUP : A Flock
DISTRIBUTION : Mountains of SC Asia, between 3000 m and at least 4500 m: Turkestan and West China
(Xinjiang), and South to Pamirs, Ladakh and Tibet. Winters on coasts of India, North Sri Lanka and SE Asia,
sparingly West to Arabian Peninsula.
HABITAT : Breeds on islands in large, cold, high altitude lakes of varying salinity, or in adjacent marshes. Outside
the breeding season it frequents coasts, coastal wetlands, estuaries and rivers.
IDENTIFICATION : size 41–45 cm, weight 450–714 g, wingspan 105–115 cm. Breeding adult has the hood pale
brown, becoming blackish at nape, narrow white eye-crescents towards rear; mantle, back and inner part of wing grey,
outer wing-coverts white. Bill bright red, with dusky tip. Legs bright to dark red. Iris pale yellow or greyish, with
narrow red orbital ring. Non-breeding adult has pale grey head with grey-brown marks around eye, on ear-coverts,
and often over crown; in winter crown becomes pale grey. Cheeks and throat white. Immature resembles has solid
black primary feathers with white bases; underwing grey; bill yellowish with dusky tip; legs orange.
DIET : Fish, shrimps, offal; also insects, grubs, slugs, earthworms, sewage, potatoes, rodents and plant shoots;
occasionally winged termites. Fish, where present, form main diet.
BREEDING : Lay eggs from end of May, mainly in early Jun. Nests usually close together, made of masses of plant
stems large, bulky nests built in marshes, smaller nests on land. Usually 3 eggs, incubation and fledging periods
unknown. Chick very pale grey, spotted dark above.
SOUNDS : “keear” or “geek”, a loud, wailing “ko-yek ko-yek” .
THREATS : Habitat Loss, Pollution, Human Disturbance, Climate Change
Pallas's Gull (बड़ा धोमरा)
CLASSIFICATION : PHYLUM Chordata
CLASS Aves
ORDER Charadriiformes
FAMILY Laridae
GENUS Ichthyaetus
IUCN Status : Least Concern (LC)
SCINTIFIC NAME : Ichthyaetus Ichthyaetus
GROUP : A Flock
DISTRIBUTION : Black Sea (Crimea, Danube Delta), Balkhash and NW Mongolia; Tibet,Northern China. East
Mediterranean, Red Sea, South Caspian Sea and Northern Indian Ocean East, Myanmar, rarely to Thailand; inland on the
Gangetic Plain (N India) and in SC Ethiopia.
HABITAT : Coasts, rivers. Harbours, fish ponds and rubbish dumps. Breed in fresh and saline lakes and inland seas in
generally arid areas.
IDENTIFICATION : Breeding adult has typical hooded appearance, black from face and throat to nape, with
conspicuous white eye-crescents ; mantle pearl grey; upper-wing-coverts very pale grey; flight-feathers mostly white. Bill
large, orange-yellow, becoming reddish distally, with sub-terminal black band and yellow tip. Legs greenish yellow, with
orange webs. Iris brown, with thin red orbital ring. Non-breeding adult has white head with dusky area around eye, over
ear-coverts and hind-crown. Juvenile dark brown above with prominent pale fringes, greyish-brown head and breast-sides
and very pale below. Tail white with black terminal bar. Legs fleshy, bill greyish with diffuse black tip.
DIET : Chiefly fish (particularly dead fish) and crustaceans, as well as insects, small mammals, birds, eggs and reptiles. In
cooler weather eats seeds.
BREEDING : Lay eggs from early April. Distinctive courtship displays include raising back feathers, and a howling long
call. Single pairs always nest with other gull species, not solitarily. Nest of dried aquatic plants and feathers, often on bare
rock substrate. Normally 2 eggs. Incubation 25 days. Chick creamy buff or silvery white. First breeding usually not until
4–5 years.
SOUNDS : “ha-u”, “whe-ow”, “ga gaga” .
THREATS : Habitat Loss and Degradation Disturbance at Breeding Sites Avian Influenza Natural Predators
Black-headed Gull Brown-headed gull Pallas's Gull
Eyes are completely Eyes have clearly Eyes are completely
black. visible white color black but the head
inside them. is much deep black
than black-headed
gull.
Tip of the beak red Tip of the beak red Tip of the beak
and legs red. and legs red. yellow and legs
yellow.
End of the tail has End of the tail has End of the tail has
less black colored more black colored white design inside
feathers. feathers. black color.
