Xema sabini

Scientific Name:-

Xema sabini

Common Name:-

Sabine's Gull / Fork-Tailed Gull

Malayalam Name:-

Category:-

Sea/Shore birds

Status:-

Least Concern

Description:-

A small gull, with length 27 to 33 cm. Wings are long, thin and pointed with a span of between 81 to 87 cm. This species is easy to identify through its striking wing pattern. The adult has a pale grey back and wing coverts, black primary flight feathers and white secondaries. The white tail is forked. The male's hood darkens during breeding season. Young birds have a similar tricoloured wing pattern, but the grey is replaced by brown, and the tail has a black terminal band. Bill black with yellow tip. Winter plumage: Grayish wash on crown, nape, and sides of breast. Crown whiter and with brownish gray patches on hind neck.

Threats:-

Not recorded

Remark:-

Sabine's Gull breeds in the arctic and has a circumpolar distribution. This species is a long-distance migrant and migrates offshore between its breeding and wintering grounds (del Hoyo et al. 1996). Rare records from Kerala (Sashikumar et al., 2011).

Habitat:-

Pelagic.

Synonyms:-

Larus sabini Sabine, 1819

References:-

Adriaens, P. (2014). Xema sabini (Sabine, 1819). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137167 on 2015-02-12
BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Xema sabini. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 12/02/2015.
del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J. 1996. Handbook of the Birds of the World, vol. 3: Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabine%27s_gull (Image)
Sashikumar,C., Praveen, J. Palot, M.J., Nameer, P.O. 2011. Birds of Kerala: status and distribution. DC Books, Kottayam.

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