Slender-Billed Gull

Slender-Billed Gull Latest News

Birders in Chennai recently recorded a rare shorebird, the slender-billed gull, at the Pallikaranai marshland.

About Slender-Billed Gull

• It is a medium-sized seabird species.
• Scientific Name: Chroicocephalus genei

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Slender-Billed Gull Distribution

• It breeds very locally around the Mediterranean and the north of the western Indian Ocean (e.g. Pakistan) on islands and coastal lagoons. 
• Most of the population is somewhat migratory, wintering further south to north Africa and India, and a few birds have wandered to western Europe. 
• In India, it is considered a regular along the western coast with several records from wetlands of northern India.

Slender-Billed Gull Features

• It is 37 to 40 cm long with a 90 to 102 cm wingspan.
• It has a pale grey body, a white head and breast, and black tips to the primary wing feathers. 
• The head and dark red bill have an elongated tapering appearance, and this bird also appears long-necked.
• The legs are dark red, and the iris is yellow. 
• About half of the slender-billed gull’s food is fish. It flies a few metres above the surface of the water and dives into the water when it sees suitable prey. 
• Conservation Status: ‘Least Concern’ under the IUCN Red List.

Key Facts About Pallikaranai Marshland

• It is a freshwater marsh and partly saline wetland situated about 20 kilometres south of the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• It serves as an aquatic buffer of the flood-prone Chennai and Chengalpattu districts.
• It encompasses 65 wetlands through two outlets, viz., Okkiyam Madavu and the Kovalam Creek, and falls into the Bay of Bengal.
• On its eastern periphery, the marsh is flanked by the Buckingham Canal.
• Parts of the marsh are well below the mean sea level and qualify as low-lying basins. 
• It is one of the Ramsar sites in India.

Slender-Billed Gull FAQs

Q1. How do you identify a slender-billed gull?

Ans. It is a medium-sized gull with a long, slender bill.

Q2. What do slender-billed gulls eat?

Ans. The diet of the species consists mainly of fish (50 % of the diet), as well as insects and marine invertebrates.

Q3. How big are slender-billed gulls?

Ans. It is 37 to 40 cm long with a 90 to 102 cm wingspan.

Source: TOI