Pallas’s Gull

Pallas’s Gull Latest News

The rare migratory Pallas’s Gull was recently spotted in Jharkhand’s Udhwa Bird Sanctuary, marking its return after almost a decade.

About Pallas’s Gull

• Pallas’s Gull, also called the Great Black-headed Gull, is a large bird species.
• It is the world’s largest black-headed gull and the third-largest species of gull in the world.
• It belongs to the family Laridae.
• Scientific Name: Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus

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Pallas’s Gull Distribution

• It breeds in colonies in marshes and islands from southern Russia to Mongolia. 
• It is migratory, wintering in the Mediterranean Sea, the Arabian Peninsula, and India.
• Habitat: It prefers wetlands, salt lakes, lagoons, and slow-flowing rivers. 

Pallas’s Gull Features

• It measures 55–72 cm in length with a 142 to 170 cm wingspan. 
• Summer adults are unmistakable, since no other gull of this size has a black hood. 
• The adults have grey wings and back, with conspicuous white “mirrors” at the wing tips. 
• The legs are yellow, and the bill is orangey-yellow with a red tip.
• In all other plumages, a dark mask through the eye indicates the vestiges of the hood.
• Pallas’s Gulls feed on fish, including dead fish. They also prey upon insects, crustaceans, reptiles, other birds, and small mammals.

Pallas’s Gull Conservation Status

It is classified as Least Concern under the IUCN Red List.

Key Facts about Udhwa Lake Bird Sanctuary 

• It is located in the Sahebganj district of Jharkhand. 
• It is the state’s only bird sanctuary.
• It comprises two interconnected wetlands, Pataura Lake and Berhale Lake, which are part of the Ganga River floodplain and surrounded by the Rajmahal Hills.
• It was declared a Ramsar Site in 2025.
• It supports a diverse ecosystem with over 146 species of birds, including endangered ones like the band-tailed fish eagle, lesser adjutant stork, and common pochard. 
• It also hosts a variety of aquatic plants, fish, reptiles, and mammals, such as fishing cats and otters.
• The sanctuary is an important habitat within the Central Asian flyway, attracting migratory birds during the winter.

Source: DEVD