Black-tailed Gull
Larus crassirostris
A distinctly long-winged, long-billed gull of the East Asian coastline, breeding in Russia and Japan and wintering as far south as Taiwan and southeastern China; rare in Southeast Asia. Adult is dark-winged with a black and red tipped bill. Younger birds are dark overall with solid black wingtips, a flashing white rump, and a pale pink bill with a solid black tip. Gathers in large flocks throughout the year. Flight is more buoyant and graceful than other similarly sized gulls. Call reminiscent of a meowing cat.
识别特征
The black-tailed gull is medium-sized (46 cm) (19 Inches), with a wingspan of 126–128 cm (49.6 - 50.3 Inches). It has yellow legs and a red and black spot at the end of the bill. Males and females have identical plumage and features, although males are larger in size than females. This gull takes four years to reach full adult plumage. As the name suggests, it has a black tail. The bird has a cat-like call, giving it its Japanese name — umineko (海猫, "sea cat"), and Korean name — gwaeng-yi gull, which means "cat" gull. In Hachinohe their calls are one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan.
分类信息
- 学名
- Larus crassirostris
- 命名信息
- Vieillot, 1818
- 目
- Charadriiformes
- 科
- Laridae
- 属
- Larus
分布与栖息地
The species is resident to coastlines of the East China Sea, Japan, Manchuria and the Kuril Islands. It is a vagrant to Alaska and North America and has been found in the Philippines.<p>The bird is common in Japan, nesting from Hokkaido to Western Kyushu. It has caused flights to be delayed at Haneda Airport in Tokyo.<p>An enormous gathering of black-tailed gulls can be found at Kabushima, a peninsula (formerly an island) in Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan. A Shinto shrine was raised by fishermen in 1269 (though it has been rebuilt several times since) at which the black-tailed gull, is seen as a messenger of the goddess of the fishery. For over 700 years, the species has enjoyed reverence, feeding and protection from the local population. As a result, every summer, over 40,000 black-tailed gulls nest and raise their young in the grounds of the shrine and the surrounding island, which has been designated a National Natural Monument by the government of Japan. The gulls are very tame and are a popular local tourist attraction.<p>Around 5,000 birds also nest at Fumi-shima in Shimane Prefecture near Izumo Shrine, and there is a large colony at Teuri Island in Hokkaido.<p>The species is common on the shoreline of Korea and on various islands. There are over 20,000 black-tailed gulls on Liancourt Rocks, and numbers are increasing due to the absence of predators. In 2008, the bird was officially chosen as one of the mascots of Liancourt Rocks. Nando and Hongdo islands, both Korean natural monuments as of 1982, are also known breeding grounds.<p>A rare visitor to the United States, a black-tailed gull was spotted from Burlington, Vermont, in October 2005. The species has been spotted in Illinois several times.
- 繁殖区
- PAL : coasts and islets of e Siberia, Sakhalin and Kuril Is. (se Russia), Hokkaido and Honshu (n, c Japan), Korean Pen., e China and Matsu Is. (=Lienchiang County; w of Taiwan)
- 非繁殖区
- Japan, Korean Pen., East China Sea s to Philippines
- 迁徙
- Complete migrants
行为
The black-tailed gull feeds mainly on small fish, molluscs, crustaceans scraps and carrion. A study analyzing the identifiable parts of gull excreta in Korea found that 19.1% consisted of the remains of fish, 3.3% of crustaceans, and 3.3% of land insects.<p>The species often follows ships and commercial fishing fleets. It also steals food from other seabirds. It is a colonial nester, with colonies forming in mid-April. 2–3 eggs are laid by early June. Incubation lasts approximately 24 days.<p>Black-tailed gulls use a variety of voice signals and are known to use more than 10 different sounds for communication. Young can recognize their parents from their voice and visual stimulation between 10 and 15 days after hatching, and can also distinguish between siblings and non-siblings. Alarm calls are alert signals that warn of predators or danger. Aggressive calls accompany attacks on predators. Contact calls are signals used for intra-specific communication. The most commonly heard cat-like sound ("mew call") is a part of the contact call, and is frequently used, such as when returning to the nest after taking food, alternating the role of the mating and nesting, taking care of the young, collective flight, etc. The sound of a young gull begging for food and the sound of a female during mating are also included in the contact call.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- stable
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Black-fronted Tern
Chlidonias albostriatus
A medium to small blue-gray tern endemic to New Zealand. Breeding birds have a black cap extending down to the bill and bright orange bill and legs. Non-breeding plumage dulls to a mottled gray cap and black patch around the eye, also seen in juveniles. Breeds only along the braided rivers of the eastern South Island. Will defend nest from intruders by diving, calling harshly, and hitting intruders on the head. After breeding, populations disperse to coastal areas, foraging offshore and near coastal farmland. A small number will visit the North Island. Call is a repetitive “kit.”
Tibetan Lark
Melanocorypha maxima
Huge bulky lark with a sharp, slightly decurved bill. Pale brown above and off-white below, with a pale brow stripe, distinct brownish ear patch, and a black mark on the neck near the shoulder. Has a less contrasting head pattern than Calandra Lark and Bimaculated Lark, but is overall more strongly patterned than female Black Lark. Distinctively blade-like bill also distinguishes this species from the former two. In flight, snowy white tail edges and back wing edges are eye-catchingly prominent; Calandra Lark has minimal white on the tail tips, and Bimaculated Lark lacks white on either wings or tail. Found in high plateau regions, where it prefers rather wet areas, often on the margins of lakes, marshes, and flooded pastures. Song, given in flight, includes rolling warbles and buzzy grating notes. Calls resemble harsh, buzzy phrases from song.
Fiscal Flycatcher
Sigelus silens
A large pied flycatcher that is most commonly mistaken for Southern Fiscal. However, the upright stance and slender unhooked bill are distinctive flycatcher traits, and the pattern of white in the flight feathers and basal windows of the tail is diagnostic. The female is duller than the male. Singles and pairs frequent a variety of open country habitats, including gardens, parks, shrubland, and woodland, where they perch conspicuously and hawk insect prey from the ground or aerially. The species is mostly silent but occasionally it utters a thin high-pitched song. The similar Southern Fiscal is more robust than the Fiscal Flycatcher, with a chunky hook-tipped bill, a white V-pattern on the shoulders, and a long tail with white outer feathers.
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