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education: birds of georgia Black-headed Gull, Larus ridibundus
Status: Accidental on Coast, with three confirmed records: a bird in first winter plumage on Andrews Island Causeway (Glynn), 11-22 Nov 2000 (O 66:26, GCRC 2000-11) (Beaton, et al, 2003); a bird in adult non-breeding plumage on Tybee Is (Chatham), 15 Aug 2005; and a bird (no details as to age) on Jekyll Is, 21 Mar 2004. Abundant in Europe and Asia and recent arrival in North America. First recorded on continent in 1920s and 1930s and found nesting in Newfoundland in 1977. Still mostly winter visitor to tidewater areas of ne U.S. and vagrant elsewhere in U.S. (Kaufman, 1996). Hundreds winter in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, and dozens winter elsewhere in the ne U.S. Most of them probably come from Iceland. Strays from Asia regularly show up in AK (Kaufman, 1996). Habitat: Coastal waters, protected bars, shallow estuaries. Rare on fresh water inland. Diet: Omnivorous. Eats mostly animal matter, including insects, earthworms, marine worms, mollusks, crustaceans, small fish, and carrion. During summer may eat many seeds and small fruits. Swoops down to take items from surface of water; sometimes catches insects while in flight. Steals food from other gulls and from each other (Kaufman, 1996). Identification: A relatively small black-hooded gull; superficially similar to Bonaparte's Gull, Larus philadelphia , but noticeably larger (L 16 in), longer and heavier billed and broader winged than Bonaparte's. (Sibley, 2000). The two sightings in Georgia have pertained to first winter and adult non-breeding plumage. In both plumages, the relatively slender bill has a strongly reddish-orange base and a black tip, whereas Bonaparte's has a solid black bill in all plumages. Both Georgia birds show a black vertical smudge in front of the eye and a dark ear spot on a white head. The non-breeding plumage shows a solid gray mantle and wings, but the first winter plumage shows much dark brown pattern in the nape, mantle and wings. In the photo of the first winter bird, note the gray feathers coming into the mantle. Conservation: World population stable with good numbers in Europe and Asia, but U.S. population still relatively small and its future still uncertain due to low numbers (Kaufman, 1996).
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