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CoastalCup nestMedium · 198 g
ID tip
This is a very small species of gull with a length of just 33 cm (13 in) and, among gulls, only the little gull is smaller. Adults have a black hood and nape during the breeding season. It is very pale with a white body and tail, pale grey wings. Non-breeding birds have a mottled grey hood and nape, and white-tipped wings with black markings on the primaries. Immatures are distinguished by having a narrow black tail band and some dark mottling on the upperwing. The legs are dark red-brown, and the short bill is black; the body is squat.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
When to see the Saunders's Gull
One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 9 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is January, the month with the most records.
Where to see the Saunders's Gull
The map shades 8 countries with regular records. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.
About the Saunders's Gull
Saunders's gull or Chinese black-headed gull, is a species of gull in the family Laridae. It is found in China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Macau, Russia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are estuarine waters and intertidal marshes. As with many other gulls, it has traditionally been placed in the genus Larus, but based on phylogenetic work some have moved it to Chroicocephalus, while others argue it is sufficiently distinct for placement in the monotypic Saundersilarus. In 2023, this transfer was accepted by the International Ornithologists' Union.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
Swallow-tailed GullCreagrus furcatusThe swallow-tailed gull has no structural or plumage differences between the male and female.
Aleutian TernOnychoprion aleuticusThe Aleutian tern is medium-sized tern (32–39 cm (13–15 in) long), with a 75–80 cm (30–31 in) wingspan, a short pointed bill and a long, deeply forked tail.
Sooty GullIchthyaetus hemprichiiThe sooty gull is a species of gull in the family Laridae, also known as the Aden gull or Hemprich's gull.
Side by side: Saunders's Gull vs Swallow-tailed Gull · Aleutian Tern vs Saunders's Gull
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