Caspian Gull

Caspian Gull Latest News

Kozhikode-based ornithologist has reported the sighting of a rare migratory bird Caspian Gull(Larus cachinnans) for the first time in Kerala.

About Caspian Gull

• It is a monotypic, large, white-headed gull and is one of the rarest gulls to be seen in India.
• Habitat: It typically nests on flat, low-lying ground by water. 
• During the breeding season the species nests near lakes surrounded by reedbeds in steppe and semi-desert (Central Asia) reservoirs, rivers, and on grassy or shrubby river islands
• Diet: Its diet consists of fish, invertebrates including insects, molluscs etc.
• It is very difficult to identify since it closely resembles the Steppe Gull.
• The Caspian Gull, usually found in Central Asia, visits northwestern India, such as Gujarat, in winter.
• They move from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, then to southern and eastern Kazakhstan and western China. They winter in Asia and Africa.
• Traditionally, its wintering areas are from the eastern Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf and western India but increasing numbers now disperse into Europe, into countries such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
• Conservation status
  • IUCN: Least Concern

Caspian Gull FAQs

Q1: What is the rarest gull in the world?

Ans: The Galapagos lava gull

Q2: What is the second largest gull species in the world?

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Ans: Glaucous Gulls

Source: TH