Audouin's Gull
Ichthyaetus audouinii
Elegant slim gull with long legs, and narrow wings. Adults have a light grey body with a paler white head. The wings are light gray with black tips, lacking conspicuous white spots. Legs are dark gray and the bill is dark red. Eyes are dark. Juveniles are similar to Lesser Black-backed Gull, with strongly barred underwings and a U-shaped white rump patch and dark tail. In their 1st winter they develop a gray-brown mantle and in their second winter the head is already white; the tail and secondaries have a black band.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ichthyaetus audouinii
- Authority
- (Payraudeau, 1826)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Laridae
- Genus
- Ichthyaetus
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- PAL : e North Atlantic coast of s Portugal and Spain; coasts and islets of Mediterranean and associated seas to Cyprus and s Turkey
- Non-breeding range
- to coast of Gambia (tropical North Atlantic)
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Great Rosefinch
Carpodacus rubicilla
As the name suggests, a large rosefinch. Male is bright pink with a dark face and frosty specks on the underparts. Female is streaky brown all over. Very similar to Streaked Rosefinch; look out for unstreaked upperparts in the male and softer, larger white spots on the underparts. Prefers more sparsely vegetated areas at higher elevations than Streaked Rosefinch, favoring alpine and subalpine scree slopes, boulder fields, and other open and barren environments; descends into similar habitat in the winter. Gives various chips, cheeps, and wheezy notes.
Stripe-faced Wood-Quail
Odontophorus balliviani
Chunky, dark brown quail of cloud forest and elfin forest. Dark brown body is spotted white below; black bandit mask and reddish crown are distinctive. May be found singly, in pairs, or in small groups. Quite secretive, and often goes undetected until flushed suddenly from nearly underfoot. Forages on the ground, climbing over mossy tree roots and scraping aside leaves with its feet to look for small prey. Listen for its low caroling song given at dusk, an often duetted “dwee-put, dwee-put….”
Moluccan Starling
Aplonis mysolensis
A dingy, entirely blackish starling with a long graduated tail and a dark eye. Juvenile shorter-tailed and browner than adult, with streaks below. Gregarious, often found in noisy groups, occurring in a variety of wooded habitats within the lowlands and foothills. Duller than Metallic Starling, with a dark eye and a shorter tail. Vocalizations include metallic “zip” and whining “weeer” call notes. Song is a bold set of uneven “glee-gloo-glee-gloo” notes.
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