Charadriiformes / Laridae / Ichthyaetus
Pallas's Gull
Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus · 渔鸥
Introduction
A large gull species traditionally placed in the genus Larus. It breeds in colonies in marshes and islands from southern Russia to Mongolia and is migratory, wintering in the eastern Mediterranean, Arabia, and India. It nests on the ground, laying between two and four eggs.
Description
This is a very large gull, measuring 55–72 cm (22–28 in) in length with a 142 to 170 cm (56 to 67 in) wingspan. Weight varies from 0.96–2.1 kg (2.1–4.6 lb), averaging 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) in males and 1.22 kg (2.7 lb) in females. The wing chord is 43.5 to 52 cm (17.1 to 20.5 in), the bill is 4.7 to 7.3 cm (1.9 to 2.9 in), and the tarsus is 6.5 to 8.4 cm (2.6 to 3.3 in). Summer adults have grey wings and back with conspicuous white 'mirrors' at the wing tips, yellow legs, and an orangey-yellow bill with a red tip. In other plumages, a dark mask through the eye indicates vestiges of the hood. Young birds attain largely grey upperparts rapidly but take four years to reach maturity.
Identification
Summer adults are unmistakable as no other gull of this size has a black hood. Key marks include grey wings and back with white wing-tip mirrors, yellow legs, and an orangey-yellow bill with a red tip. In non-breeding plumages, a dark mask through the eye is visible. The call is a deep, rather nasal 'aargh' cry, resembling that of the lesser black-backed gull.
Distribution & Habitat
Breeds in colonies in marshes and islands from southern Russia to Mongolia. Migratory, wintering in the eastern Mediterranean, Arabia, and India. Occurs in western Europe only as a vagrant, with a single acceptable record in Great Britain from 1859. Also occurs as a vagrant in parts of the Indian Ocean south of its normal range and along the northern and eastern coasts of Africa, visiting annually on an irregular basis.
Behavior & Ecology
Predatory, taking fish, crustaceans, insects, and small mammals. Noisy at colonies but mostly silent when breeding. Possesses a deep, rather nasal flight-call.
Conservation
One of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Laridae
- Genus
- Ichthyaetus
Distribution
breeds patchily on lake islands from Crimea eastward through Kazakhstan and Mongolia to Gansu, Qinghai, and Inner Mongolia (west-central China); winters to coasts, landlocked seas, and rivers from Black Sea eastward across Bay of Bengal to Bangladesh and south-central Myanmar
Data Sources
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bird images and sounds sourced from GBIF, contributed by citizen scientists worldwide under Creative Commons licenses.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.
