The relict gull or Central Asian gull (''Ichthyaetus relictus'') is a medium-sized gull. It was believed to be an eastern race of the

Mediterranean gull The Mediterranean gull (''Ichthyaetus melanocephalus'') is a small gull. The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. The genus ''Ichthyaetus'' is from ''ikhthus'', "fish", and ''aetos'', "eagle", and the specific ''melanocephalus'' is from ''mel ...

until 1971 and was traditionally placed in the genus ''

Larus ''Larus'' is a large genus of gulls with worldwide distribution (by far the greatest species diversity is in the Northern Hemisphere). Many of its species are abundant and well-known birds in their ranges. Until about 2005–2007, most gulls ...

''.

Description

The gull is 44 to 45 cm long with a stocky, thick body. Non-breeding adults feature uniformly dark-smudged ear-coverts and hind crown, white-tipped wings, prominent, isolated black subterminal markings on outer primaries, and no white leading edge to outer wing. Breeding birds have black hoods (including napes) with grey-brown foreheads, and broad, white, half-moon colouring behind, below, and above their eyes. Their legs are orange and their bills scarlet. The name comes from its status as a relict species.Ming Ma, Ying Chen, Kedeerhan Bayahen, Baowen Hu, Fei Li, Jiaqing Wu, Xiang Gao, Yu Mei
"Seasonal changes in the number of Relict Gull (''Larus relictus'') at Ebinur Lake, Western China"
''Journal of Arid Land'', 2010, volume 2, number 2, pp 151−155, Retrieved May 2, 2015

Distribution and habitat

The gull breeds in several locations in Mongolia (''e.g.,''

Galuut Lake Galuut ( mn, Галуут) is a Sums of Mongolia, sum (district) of Bayankhongor Province in southern Mongolia. In 2006, its population was 4,012.

Khukh Lake The Khukh Lake ( mn, Хөх Нуур) is a lake in Choibalsan, Dornod Province, Mongolia. History The bottom of the lake was cleaned in 2017. Geology The lake is the lowest point of Mongolia. It consists of two lakes linked together undergrou ...

, and Chukh Lake), two in Kazakhstan, one in Russia, and one in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

( Lake Hongjiannao). Small numbers appear to

migrate Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

to South Korea during the nonbreeding period. There is additional evidence that larger numbers may migrate to eastern China as well, but this is not verified. The gulls breed in colonies on islands in saltwater lakes. These sites are fragile. Nesting does not occur when lakes dry up or when water levels are too high. When islands become too small or overgrown with vegetation or so large that they join at the shore, the birds do not nest either. During non-breeding periods, the birds can be found on estuarine mud and sandflats.

Status and conservation

The population is estimated to be at 10,000 or less, with numbers dropping. It is classified as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List. Its greatest threats are changes of water level in the breeding lakes, predation from other gulls,

hail Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailstone. Ice pellets generally fal ...

storms and flooding. Human disturbance has increased their vulnerability to all these factors, resulting in further risks for the adult gulls and increased mortality for chicks and eggs. To combat this, nature reserves in Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Russia have been established, for example in the

Mongol Daguur Mongol Daguur ( mn, Монгол дагуур, also referred to as Mongolian Dauria) is a steppe and wetland region in Mongolia listed as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve and Ramsar Site of International Importance. A transboundary ecoregion stra ...

region.

References

Birdlife.orgArkive.org
* Pons J.M., Hassanin, A., and Crochet P.A.(2005). ''Phylogenetic relationships within the Laridae (Charadriiformes: Aves) inferred from mitochondrial markers.'' Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 37(3):686-699

External links

Blue Ocean Network documentary about the Relie Gull
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1139929

relict gull The relict gull or Central Asian gull (''Ichthyaetus relictus'') is a medium-sized gull. It was believed to be an eastern race of the Mediterranean gull until 1971 and was traditionally placed in the genus ''Larus''. Description The gull is 44 ...

Birds of Central Asia Birds of Mongolia

Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN Taxa named by Einar Lönnberg