Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus

Scientific Name:-

Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus

Common Name:-

Pallas's Gull / Great black-headed gull

Malayalam Name:-

Category:-

Sea/Shore birds

Status:-

Least Concern

Description:-

This is a very large gull, being easily the world's largest black-headed gull and the third largest species of gull in the world, after the great black-backed gull and the glaucous gull. Length 55–72 cm, wing span 142 to 170 cm. Adults with grey wings and back, with conspicuous white "mirrors" at the wing tips. The legs are yellow and the bill is red. In all other plumages, a dark mask through the eye indicates the vestiges of the hood. The call is a deep aargh cry. Young birds attain largely grey upperparts quite rapidly, but they take four years to reach maturity.

Threats:-

Not recorded

Remark:-

It chiefly feeds on fish (particularly dead fish), crustaceans, insects and small mammals, less often taking birds and their eggs, reptiles, and seeds (del Hoyo et al. 1996). A common species in Kerala coast (Sashikumar et al., 2011).

Habitat:-

Pelagic

Synonyms:-

Larus ichthyaetus Pallas 1773

References:-

BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Larus ichthyaetus. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 13/02/2015.
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/Pallas%27s_gull
Sashikumar,C., Praveen, J. Palot, M.J., Nameer, P.O. 2011. Birds of Kerala: status and distribution. DC Books, Kottayam.

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