Near brackish and fresh waters, you can meet a particularly large bird, similar in size to a burgomaster or a large sea gull. However, it is distinguished from these species by the color of the plumage on the head and the ability to soar during flight. Looking closely, you can understand that this is a black-headed gull. This species was on the verge of extinction and was listed in the Red Book of Russia, which is why it is important to know about its habitats, diet and lifestyle.
Description of the species, what the gull looks like
The bird of the Gull family is the largest representative of the species and is easily recognizable by its velvety-shiny black head. At the same time, narrowish white stripes are visible above her eyes. Males reach an average of up to 2 kg, and females - up to 1.5 kg with a body length of 60 to 70 cm and a wingspan of 150-175 cm. ashen. The beak is bright orange with a black band at the base and reddish at the tip.
However, such a description of the black-headed gullrelevant only for adults, since the young look completely different for the first three years of life, and it is difficult to distinguish it from the herring gull. So, the head of the chicks and the upper part of their body are painted silver, and the feathers on the lower part of the body are white or creamy white with an ocher tint. Before taking on the final form, the plumage changes several times.
Plumage stages:
- down outfit;
- nesting outfit;
- first winter outfit;
- second winter outfit;
- second summer outfit;
- third winter and third summer outfits.
Changing their "outfits", the black-headed gull goes through numerous molting processes.
Where the black-headed gull lives
Representatives of the order Charadriiformes mainly settle along the coast of freshwater, brackish, s alty lakes and sea bays, choosing areas protected from terrestrial predators with a sparse grass cover. They mainly live in the arid, desert zone of Eurasia - starting from Ciscaucasia and the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov east to China, Cis-Baikal and Mongolia. You can also meet birds in Kazakhstan and on the islands near the Black Sea. On the territory of Russia, these beautiful gulls are most often found in the Volga River Delta, in the Caspian Sea basin, the lower reaches of the Terek, in the Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories, as well as in the Rostov Region. Birds also nest in the northern part of the Crimea - on the Swan Islands and Sivash, and go to the southern and southwestern parts of Asia for wintering.
Worth itIt should be noted that the black-headed gull does not form a continuous range, since it is characterized by separate nesting settlements.
Lifestyle
Despite the fact that in many photos the black-headed gull is depicted alone, it still lives in large, dense colonies, the number of which ranges from several tens to hundreds of individuals. Sometimes it is also found in mixed groups of other representatives of the species. Basically, the colonies remain only for one season, after which the grown-up young begin to roam, finding themselves hundreds of kilometers from the main habitat, and then completely leave the territory for the wintering period and return only in March-April of the next year.
Gulled gulls start breeding from the 4th year of life and lay no more than three gray-bluish eggs in the nest. Both males and females incubate them. It is noteworthy that the nests of these large birds are located near water bodies, so they can be destroyed during especially high tides. The fate of the chicks themselves is also sad, as they often fall prey to herring gulls. The mortality rate of young animals is 80%, because adults do not always become good parents - cubs can be accidentally crushed or even stop taking care of them. Cases of infanticide are also known. Grown up kids later gather in a kind of "kindergartens", where they are fed by big birds, without dividing them into strangers and their own.
What eats
Like all gulls, the black-headed gull does not dive,but collects dead fish on the banks or catches them in shallow water. Occasionally preys on small rodents, insects and waterfowl chicks. In case of shortage of food, birds can attack colonies of terns and smaller gulls, steal eggs from them, catch large beetles on the fly and pick up fishermen's catch from nets. They travel about 20 kilometers in search of food.
Interesting facts
- Despite its name, the gull is a rather silent bird, and the sounds it makes are not at all like laughter. Most likely, they are comparable to a dull roar or bark.
- Maximum lifespan of the black-headed gull is about 16 years.
- Gull is not only a large representative of the species, but also very timid. Defending themselves, seagulls line up and start screaming at the enemy. Sometimes they may attack saker falcons.
- The black-headed gull is no longer listed in the Red Book of Russia - in just a few decades, its population has almost doubled.
It is worth noting that in many nations the seagull symbolizes a yearning woman, is the heroine of fairy tales and legends.
