Brown-headed gull

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Species of bird

title: "Brown-headed gull" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["chroicocephalus", "birds-of-tibet", "birds-described-in-1840", "taxobox-binomials-not-recognized-by-iucn", "taxa-named-by-thomas-c.-jerdon"] description: "Species of bird" topic_path: "general/chroicocephalus" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown-headed_gull" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Species of bird ::

| image = Brown-headed Gull. in breeding plumage.jpg | image_alt = Brown-headed Gull at Pangong Tso Ladakh | image_caption = Breeding adult | image2 = Brown-headed Gull (2).jpg | image2_caption = Non-breeding adult | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = | genus = Chroicocephalus | species = brunnicephalus | authority = (Jerdon, 1840) west coast of Indian Peninsula | synonyms = Larus brunnicephalus

The brown-headed gull (Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus) is a small gull which breeds in the high plateaus of central Asia from Tajikistan to Ordos in Inner Mongolia. It is migratory, wintering on the coasts and large inland lakes of the Indian subcontinent. As is the case with many gulls, was traditionally placed in the genus Larus.

This gull breeds in colonies in large reedbeds or marshes, or on islands in lakes, nesting on the ground. Like most gulls, it is highly gregarious in winter, both when feeding or in evening roosts. It is not a pelagic species, and is rarely seen at sea far from coasts.

This is a bold and opportunist feeder, which will scavenge in towns or take invertebrates in ploughed fields with equal relish.

The brown-headed gull is slightly larger than black-headed gull. The summer adult has a pale brown head, lighter than that of black-headed, a pale grey body, and red bill and legs. The black tips to the primary wing feathers have conspicuous white "mirrors". The underwing is grey with black flight feathers. The brown hood is lost in winter, leaving just dark vertical streaks.

This bird takes two years to reach maturity. First year birds have a black terminal tail band, more dark areas in the wings, and, in summer, a less homogeneous hood.

This is a noisy species, especially at colonies.

Brown-headed Gulls.jpg|Brown-headed gull in flight - Ezhimala, Kerala Brown-headed Gull, Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus.jpg|Brown-headed gull in flight - Bang Pu, Samut Prakan, Thailand Brown-headed Gull at Pangong Tso 1.jpg|At Pangong Tso Brown-headed Gull at Pangong Tso 2.jpg|At Pangong Tso Brown-headed Gull at Pangong Tso 6.jpg|At Pangong Tso Brown-headed Gull & Black-headed Gull, Gujarat.jpg|In Western India Brown Headed Gull With Fish Navi Mumbai.jpg|Brown-headed Gull fishing in Navi Mumbai, India Immature Brown-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus).png|Immature Brown-headed Gull in flight

References

  • Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp,
  • 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

References

  1. BirdLife International. (2018). "''Larus brunnicephalus''".

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chroicocephalusbirds-of-tibetbirds-described-in-1840taxobox-binomials-not-recognized-by-iucntaxa-named-by-thomas-c.-jerdon