Ross's gull
Ross's gull | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Charadriiformes |
Family: | Laridae |
Genus: | Rhodostethia MacGillivray, 1842 |
Species: | R. rosea
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Binomial name | |
Rhodostethia rosea | |
Synonyms | |
Hydrocoloeus roseus |
Ross's gull (Rhodostethia rosea) is a small
Description
This small bird is similar in size and some plumage characteristics to the little gull. It is slightly larger and longer winged than the little gull species, and has more-pointed wings and a wedge-shaped tail. Its legs are red. Summer adults are pale grey above and white below, with a pink flush to the breast, and a neat black neck ring. In winter, the breast tints and neck collar are lost and a small dark crescent develops behind the eye.[4]
Young birds resemble winter adults, but have a dark "W" pattern on the wings in flight, like young little gulls. The juveniles take two years to attain full adult plumage.
Ross's gull measurements:[5]
- Length: 11.4–12.2 in (29–31 cm)
- Weight: 4.9–8.8 oz (140–250 g)
- Wingspan: 35.4–39.4 in (90–100 cm)
Distribution and habitat
Ross's gull breeds in the high
Biology
The Ross's gull breeds in small colonies on tundras and swampy Arctic estuaries, often nesting with other seabirds such as Arctic terns. It lays two to three eggs in a nest on the ground lined with seaweed, grass or moss, often on an island in a little lake. The eggs are olive green with small reddish-brown spots. Incubation takes about three weeks and the chicks fledge in another three weeks. Not all pairs successfully rear their young as predators and bad weather often take their toll.[4]
This bird will eat any suitable small
References
- . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ E. Potapov. 1990. Birds and brave man in the Arctic (Explorers of Polar deserts, Russo-Japanize war and ever mysterious Ross's Gull). – Birds International, v.2 N°3, p. 72–83. [1]
- ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ a b c d "Rhodostethia rosea: Ross's Gull" (in French). Oiseaux.net. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
- ^ "Ross's Gull Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology". www.allaboutbirds.org. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
- ^ "Zeldzame Ross' meeuw uit Siberië lokt honderden natuurfotografen naar Nieuwpoort". www.vrt.be (in Dutch). 21 December 2021. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
- ^ "Natuurgids Billy kwam speciaal voor Ross' meeuw terug uit vakantie: "Een hels verhaal, maar ik heb hem gezien"". 22 December 2021.
Densley, Michael "In search of Ross's Gull " Peregrine books. 1999.
External links
- E. Potapov. 1990. Birds and brave men in the Arctic north Birds International 2(3) 72–83.