The Vega gull, East Siberian gull, or East Siberian herring gull (''Larus vegae'') is a large
gull
Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, m ...
of the
herring gull Herring gull is a common name for several birds in the genus ''Larus'', all formerly treated as a single species.
Three species are still combined in some taxonomies:
* American herring gull (''Larus smithsonianus'') - North America
* European he ...
/
lesser black-backed gull
The lesser black-backed gull (''Larus fuscus'') is a large gull that breeds on the Atlantic coasts of Europe. It is migratory, wintering from the British Isles south to West Africa. It has increased dramatically in North America, most common alo ...
complex which breeds in
Northeast Asia
Northeast Asia or Northeastern Asia is a geographical subregion of Asia; its northeastern landmass and islands are bounded by the Pacific Ocean.
The term Northeast Asia was popularized during the 1930s by American historian and political scienti ...
. Its classification is still controversial and uncertain. It is variously treated as a separate species, as a
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
of the
American herring gull
The American herring gull or Smithsonian gull (''Larus smithsonianus'' or ''Larus argentatus smithsonianus'') is a large gull that breeds in North America, where it is treated by the American Ornithological Society as a subspecies of herring gull ...
(''L. smithsonianus'') or included with both the American herring gull and
European herring gull
The European herring gull (''Larus argentatus'') is a large gull, up to long. One of the best-known of all gulls along the shores of Western Europe, it was once abundant. It breeds across Northern Europe, Western Europe, Central Europe, Eastern ...
in ''L. argentatus''. The Mongolian gull, ''Larus mongolicus'', has previously been regarded as a subspecies of the
Caspian gull
The Caspian gull (''Larus cachinnans'') is a large gull and a member of the herring and lesser black-backed gull complex. The scientific name is from Latin. ''Larus'' appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird, and ''cachinnans'' ...
(''L. cachinnans'') but is now sometimes lumped with the Vega gull.
Description
Vega gull (''Larus vegae'')
The Vega gull is similar to the herring gull but is slightly darker grey above. The head of the Vega gull is heavily streaked with brown in winter, especially on the back and sides of the neck forming a collar. The legs are usually bright pink. First- and second-winter Vega gulls are darker than the similar Mongolian gull, notably on the crown of the head where Mongolian gulls even in first- and second-winter are a bit paler. Almost the full body of first- and second-winter Vega gulls displays darker brown flecks and streaks. Adult Vega gulls in winter can often be mistaken for the very similar-looking
slaty-backed gull
The slaty-backed gull (''Larus schistisagus'') is a large, white-headed gull that breeds on the north-eastern coast of the Palearctic, but travels widely during nonbreeding seasons. It is similar in appearance to the western gull and the glaucou ...
(''L''. ''schistisagus)'' and the
western gull
The western gull (''Larus occidentalis'') is a large white-headed gull that lives on the west coast of North America. It was previously considered conspecific with the yellow-footed gull (''Larus livens'') of the Gulf of California. The western g ...
(''L. occidentalis''), but the Vega gull's gray is lighter than the two similar species. Eye colour is variable but tends to be dark with a red
orbital ring
An orbital ring is a concept of an artificial ring placed around a body and set rotating at such a rate that the apparent centrifugal force is large enough to counteract the force of gravity. For the Earth, the required speed is on the order of 1 ...
. The bill is yellow with a red spot except for first- and second-winter gulls where the bill can be almost entirely dark gray/black, with the gray portion shrinking until it reaches maturity.
Vega gulls in the northwestern part of their breeding range are paler above. They are sometimes considered to be a separate subspecies named Birula's gull (''Larus vegae birulai'').
Mongolian gull (''Larus vegae mongolicus'')
The back and wings of the Mongolian gull vary in colour. They are often medium grey similar to Birula's gull but can be much darker. The head of the Mongolian gull is mainly white all year round with only faint winter streaking. The legs are usually pink and the eye is usually pale with a red orbital ring. The bill is yellow with a large red spot and often with dark markings in first-, second- and third-year gulls. First- and second-winter Mongolian gulls have heavy brown/gray streaking and flecking over most of body and wings, much like the Vega gull, but not as dark.
Distribution and habitat
Vega gulls breed in northeastern
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
and winter in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, southern and eastern
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 ...
, and
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
. They are regularly seen on
St. Lawrence Island
St. Lawrence Island ( ess, Sivuqaq, russian: Остров Святого Лаврентия, Ostrov Svyatogo Lavrentiya) is located west of mainland Alaska in the Bering Sea, just south of the Bering Strait. The village of Gambell, located on t ...
and
Nome,
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
and may breed there. There are also records from other parts of western Alaska, and a few photo documented records from
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
and
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. In their winter range they are typically found in harbours, on rocky shores and at river mouths.
The Mongolian gull nests in
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
, neighbouring parts of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
(such as
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal (, russian: Oзеро Байкал, Ozero Baykal ); mn, Байгал нуур, Baigal nuur) is a rift lake in Russia. It is situated in southern Siberia, between the federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Repu ...
), northeastern China (e.g.,
Lake Hulun
Hulun Lake (; mn, hölön nuur Хөлөн нуур, lit. ''foot lake'') or Dalai Nor ( mn, Dalai nuur Далай нуур, lit. ''ocean lake''), is a large lake in the Inner Mongolia region of northern China.
Geography
It is one of the five larg ...
) and possibly
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. It migrates southeast to winter in southern and eastern China and Korea, with small numbers reaching Japan. In South Korea, it winters on inland waters more often than the Vega gull.
References
* Paul Doherty & Bill Oddie (2001) ''Gulls: A Video Guide to the Gulls of Europe, Asia & North America''. Videocassette. Bird Images.
*John MacKinnon & Karen Phillipps (2000) ''A Field Guide to the Birds of China''. Oxford University Press.
*Craig Robson (2002) ''A Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia''. New Holland, London.
*George C. West (2002) ''A Birder's Guide to Alaska''. American Birding Association.
*Mark Brazil (2009) ''Princeton Field Guides: Birds of East Asia (China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Russia)''. Princeton University Press .
External links
Mongolian Gull photos Japanese Gull-Site
The "Herring Gull" Assemblage in South Korea Birding Korea
Japanese Gull-Site
{{Taxonbar, from=Q589154
Vega gull
The Vega gull, East Siberian gull, or East Siberian herring gull (''Larus vegae'') is a large gull of the herring gull/lesser black-backed gull complex which breeds in Northeast Asia. Its classification is still controversial and uncertain. It i ...
Birds of North Asia
Vega gull
The Vega gull, East Siberian gull, or East Siberian herring gull (''Larus vegae'') is a large gull of the herring gull/lesser black-backed gull complex which breeds in Northeast Asia. Its classification is still controversial and uncertain. It i ...