The Brown-headed Gulls (Larus brunnicephalus) is a small Asian gull frequently observed in noisy colonies.
Distribution / Range
It breeds in the high plateaux of central Asia from Turkmenistan to Mongolia.
This migratory bird winters on the coasts and large inland lakes of tropical southern Asia.
Distribution / Range
This gull breeds in colonies in large reedbeds or marshes, or on islands in lakes, nesting on the ground. It is rarely seen at sea far from coasts.
Diet / Feeding
The Brown-headed Gulls will scavenge in towns or take invertebrates (= animals without internal skeletons, such as insects, larvae, earthworms, millipedes, snails, and spiders) in plowed fields with equal relish.
Description
The summer adult has a pale brown head, lighter than that of a Black-headed, a pale grey body, and a red bill and legs. The black tips to the primary wing feathers have conspicuous white “mirrors”. The underwing is grey with black flight feathers. The brown hood is lost in winter, leaving just dark vertical streaks.
This bird takes two years to reach maturity. First-year birds have a black terminal tail band, more dark areas in the wings, and, in summer, a less homogeneous hood.
Brown-headed Gulls are slightly larger than Black-headed Gulls.
