Caspian Gull
adult Caspian Gull, Poland
Conservation status
Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Charadriiformes Family: Laridae Genus: Larus Species: L. cachinnans
Binomial name
Larus cachinnans Pallas, 1811

Caspian Gull is a name applied to the gull taxon Larus (argentatus) cachinnans, a member of the Herring Gull/Lesser Black-backed Gull complex. Image File history File links Larus_cachinnans_3_(Marek_Szczepanek). ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn3. ... Least Concern (LC) is an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which do not qualify for any other category. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Animalia redirects here. ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... “Aves” redirects here. ... Families Thinocoridae Pedionomidae Scolopacidae Rostratulidae Jacanidae Chionididae Burhinidae Haematopodidae Recurvirostridae Ibidorhynchidae Charadriidae Pluvianellidae Dromadidae Glareolidae Stercorariidae Rhynchopidae Laridae Sternidae Alcidae Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. ... Genera Pagophila Larus Rissa Creagus Xema Rhodostethia Gulls are seabirds in the family Laridae and subfamily Lari. ... Genera Pagophila Larus Rissa Creagus Xema Rhodostethia Gulls are seabirds in the family Laridae and subfamily Lari. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Peter Simon Pallas (September 22, 1741 - September 8, 1811) was a German-born Russian zoologist. ... In science, a common name is any name by which a species or other concept is known that is not the official scientific name. ... Look up gull in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A taxon (plural taxa), or taxonomic unit, is a grouping of organisms (named or unnamed). ... Binomial name Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763 The Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, is a large gull which breeds across North America, Europe and Asia. ... Binomial name Larus fuscus Linnaeus, 1758 The Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus is a large gull which breeds on the Atlantic coasts of Europe. ...

Description

It is a large gull (59–67 cm, 680–1330 g) with a long, slender bill, accentuated by the sloping forehead. The legs, wings and neck are longer than those of the Herring Gull and Yellow-legged Gull. The eye is small and often dark, the legs vary from pale pink to a pale yellowish colour. The back and wings are a slightly darker shade of grey than the Herring Gull but slightly paler than the Yellow-legged Gull. The outermost primary feather has a large white tip and a white tongue running up the inner web. Binomial name Larus cachinnans Pallas, 1811 The Yellow-legged Gull, Larus cachinnans, is a large gull. ... Remiges are a birds flight feathers which are attached to the rear portion of the wing bones. ...

First-winter birds have a pale head with dark streaking on the back of the neck. The underparts are pale and the back is greyish. The greater and median wing-coverts have whitish tips forming two pale lines across the wing.

Distribution

The Caspian Gull breeds around the Black and Caspian Seas, extending eastwards across Central Asia to north-west China. In Europe it has been spreading north and west and now breeds in Poland and eastern Germany. Some birds migrate south as far as the Red Sea and Persian Gulf while others disperse into Western Europe, in such countries as Norway and Denmark. Small numbers are now seen regularly in Britain, especially in South-east England, East Anglia and the Midlands. NASA satellite image of the Black Sea Map of the Black Sea The Black Sea is an inland sea between southeastern Europe and Anatolia that is actually a distant arm of the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Mediterranean Sea. ... The Caspian Sea is the largest lake on Earth by area[2], with a surface area of 371,000 square kilometers (143,244 sq mi) and a volume of 78,200 cubic kilometers (18,761 cu mi). ... Map of Central Asia showing three sets of possible boundaries for the region Central Asia located as a region of the world Central Asia is a vast landlocked region of Asia. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... Location of the Red Sea The Red Sea is an inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. ... Map of the Persian Gulf. ... A common post-WWII understanding of Western Europe Western Europe in its most common understanding is a socio-political concept coined and used during the Cold War. ... South East England is one of the nine official regions of England. ... Norfolk and Suffolk, the core area of East Anglia. ... In general, the midlands of a territory are its central regions. ...

Breeding

It typically nests on flat, low-lying ground by water unlike the Yellow-legged Gull which mainly nests on cliffs in areas where the two overlap. The breeding season starts from early April. Two or three eggs are laid and incubated for 27 to 31 days.

Feeding

They are scavengers and predators with a very varied diet. During the breeding season they often eat rodents such as ground squirrels, flying some distance into the steppes to find them. For a person who scavenges, see Waste picker. ... This snapping turtle is trying to make a meal of a Canada goose, but the goose is too wary. ... Suborders Sciuromorpha Castorimorpha Myomorpha Anomaluromorpha Hystricomorpha Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents. ... Genera See entry. ...

Classification and subspecies

This form has a troubled taxonomic history, summarised in the Herring Gull article. Currently, it is treated as a full species by some authorities and as a subspecies of the Herring Gull by others (e.g. the British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee). Some authorities include the Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis) within Larus cachinnans but it is now commonly considered to be a separate species. Binomial name Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763 The Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, is a large gull which breeds across North America, Europe and Asia. ... The British Ornithologists Union (BOU) aims to encourage the study of birds (ornithology) in Britain, Europe and throughout the world, in order to understand their biology and to aid their conservation. ...

The Steppe Gull or Baraba Gull (Larus (cachinnans) barabensis) may be regarded as a subspecies of the Caspian Gull or as a separate species. It is also very similar genetically to its northern neighbour, the taimyrensis race of Heuglin's Gull. The Steppe Gull breeds in Central Asia, particularly northern Kazakhstan. Its non-breeding range is still little-known but most are thought to winter in south-west Asia from the Persian Gulf to north-west India. There are possible records of this form from Hong Kong and South Korea. Binomial name Larus heuglini Bree, 1876 Heuglins Gull, Larus heuglini, is a seabird in the genus Larus. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ...

The Mongolian Gull (Larus (vegae/cachinnans) mongolicus) may be classed as a subspecies of the Caspian Gull, a subspecies of the East Siberian Gull or as a species in its own right. It breeds in Mongolia and surrounding areas and migrates south-east in winter. Binomial name Larus vegae Palmén, 1887 The East Siberian Gull, Larus vegae, is a large gull of the Herring Gull/Lesser Black-backed Gull complex which breeds in Northeast Asia. ... Binomial name Larus vegae Palmén, 1887 The East Siberian Gull, Larus vegae, is a large gull of the Herring Gull/Lesser Black-backed Gull complex which breeds in Northeast Asia. ...

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

References

• Paul Doherty & Bill Oddie (2001) Gulls: A Video Guide to the Gulls of Europe, Asia & North America. Videocassette. Bird Images.
• Dick Newell (2003) What is a Caspian Gull?. Birdguides (http://www.birdguides.com/birdnews/articles.asp), accessed 18/9/06, subscription only.
• D.W. Snow & C.M. Perrins (1998) The Birds of the Western Palearctic, Concise Edition (Vol. 1), Oxford University Press, Oxford.

External links

• Caspian Gull photos, Rudy's Gull-index
• Gulls in Poland incl. Caspian Gull and hybrids
• Caspian Gulls in Amsterdam
• Identification of Caspian Gull, Berkshire Birds
• Steppe Gull barabensis in South Korea, Birds Korea