Relict gull - description. Relict gull (larus relictus) Relict gull

In the mid-60s of the last century, the world ornithological community was excited by news that arrived from Lake Alakol. Ernar Auezov (the son of the great writer) discovered a seagull on the lake, which was considered extinct for several decades. The furor in science was such that the authorities of the Kazakh SSR in 1971 declared the territory of the islands a state reserve.

On the basis of the reserve, a reserve was later opened with an intriguing name - “ Relict gull" However, this “news” did not bring anything new for Alakol himself - it was only calmly biding its time on these deserted shores, calmly existing here since those ancient times when the internal Mediterranean “seas” Central Asia covered much wider areas.

It was the skin of the only specimen, obtained by the tireless explorer of Inner Asia, the Swede Sven Hedin in 1929 in Mongolia, that was doomed to gather dust in the storerooms of the Stockholm Museum, and the researchers considered it a zoological curiosity, an accidental hybrid that existed in a single copy.

And then, suddenly, on the Alakol Islands there was a whole colony of relict gulls, arriving from nowhere with the onset of warm weather to breed. This is exactly what, according to the tradition of Swedish ornithologists, they began to call the newly discovered bird, which was almost simultaneously discovered in the Chita region, and then in other places in Deep Asia (although in very limited quantities). The peculiarity of the distribution of the relict gull has strengthened scientists in the idea that they are dealing with the last representatives of a species that was once widespread in now-dried reservoirs that existed in prehistoric times here, in the depths of the most extensive continent on Earth. It also turned out that the seagull was flying to us from brotherly Vietnam.

True, from the point of view of the average person, the relict gull was hardly capable of shaking the imagination as much as some Komodos monitor lizards or New Zealand echidnas. A layman would generally not be able to distinguish it from an ordinary lake relative. But science has its own criteria and gradations of values.

However, here’s a paradox: the fruits of the fame of this black-headed gull are now being enjoyed by completely different birds living on protected islands - but she herself again disappeared without a trace from Alakol before the eyes of researchers. Without explanation. She just took it one day and stopped returning from hot countries and breeding on our islands. But it would seem that all the conditions were created for her here. IN recent years Only single specimens appear on Alakol. Wayward relic.

The bird belongs to endangered populations, that is, species whose numbers have reached a critical level or whose habitats have undergone such fundamental changes that they are likely to disappear in the near future. Saving such species is impossible without the implementation of special and decisive measures: the creation of reserves and wildlife sanctuaries, breeding in captivity (the creation of genetic banks of populations).

The relict gull is part of the group of dark-headed gulls. It is larger than the black-headed gull, but smaller than the gull. The ends of the wings and the narrow edges of the first flight feathers are black. There are bright white rings around the eyes. The beak and legs are red. The relict gull was essentially rediscovered in 1969 by the Kazakh ornithologist E.M. Auezov on Lake Alakol. Previously, the only specimen of this bird from Central Asia was taken as a subspecies known species, for a hybrid, for an evading individual.

Then it turned out that another colony of relict gulls exists far from the first - on the Torey Lakes in Transbaikalia. In these two colonies, the number of nesting birds is different years ranges from several dozen to 300 pairs. Often nests are destroyed during storms, or birds suddenly abandon them for unknown reasons. In some years, gulls do not nest at all.

It is believed that there are only 600–800 pairs of relict gulls in the world. Perhaps this species also nests somewhere in the lakes in Western China. It is unknown where it spends the winter. In their winter plumage, these gulls are very easily confused with related species. It nests on islands of salt lakes with variable water levels in the steppe and desert zones; during the migration period it stays along river valleys and inland reservoirs, in winter along sea ​​coasts.

The locations of the colonies change from year to year, even if they remain within the same island. During the breeding season, the gull feeds in the steppe, in fields and on the banks of reservoirs, in the splash zone and in shallow water. Main food items - mass species insects, grains of cultivated cereals, less often aquatic invertebrates, fish, small rodents.

The nests of relict gulls are very simple. They lay eggs in early to mid-May. The color of the eggs is unusual for gulls - whitish-olive-clay with dark and light spots. Incubation lasts 24–26 days. The chicks are covered with white down. The relict gull is one of the rare birds in the world. Its main wintering places are unknown; apparently this is Southeast Asia maybe also east coast Korean Peninsula, southern part Japan and the interior of China.

The seagull is included in the Red Books of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Russia and many other countries. It is strictly forbidden to shoot or collect it, and the transportation of any materials from country to country is limited.

Larus relictus (Lonnberg, 1931)

Relic Gull | Moinak nemese alakoz

Description

Adult (over three years old) relict gulls have bluish-gray backs and wing coverts in spring and summer. The neck, tail, rump and entire underparts are white. The head is black with a light coffee coating around the beak; on the forehead, cheeks and throat this plaque gradually darkens and smoothly turns into the pure black color of the crown, back of the head, ears and bottom of the throat. Above and below the eye there is one wide (6-7 mm) bright white stripe, which close behind the eye, forming an incomplete ring that stands out in contrast against the dark background of the head. The primaries are white with black patterns. In individuals with the least development of this pattern, the black color is retained only on the outer webs of the first three flight feathers and in the form of wide apical stripes through both webs of the second to fifth flight feathers. In some (apparently younger ones), black also occupies a significant part of the inner web of the first two flight feathers. The beak is dark red. The tarsus, fingers and membranes are meat-red in color, the claws are black. The iris is dark brown, the edges of the eyelids are bright red. Juveniles in nesting plumage have white neck feathers with wide apical brown stripes; the feathers of the back and upper wing coverts are gray, with wide brown apical margins and wide whitish tips. The forehead, cheeks and throat are white; the crown and back of the head have an unclear dark pattern. The rump, sides and entire underparts are white. The tail is white, with a wide apical black-brown stripe. The first and second flight feathers are completely black, the rest have white margins on the inner webs that gradually increase in the proximal direction; all flight feathers have white teardrop-shaped tips, which wear out much faster than the black areas of the feather. The beak is dark brown, lighter at the base of the mandible, the legs are dark gray. The iris is dark brown, the edges of the eyelids are black. After the first autumn moult, the head and neck are white, with rare dark brown teardrop-shaped spots. The back and wing coverts are like those of adults, and only the lesser coverts with wide brown tips. Tail with dark apical stripe. The legs are light gray, the beak is light at the base and dark at the top. Dimensions. Males (5): wing 338 – 352, tail 134 – 150, beak 35 – 35 mm. Females (6) wing 322 -345, tail 126 - 143, tarsus 52.5 - 59, beak 33 - 35 mm. Weight: 420 – 575 g.

Spreading

The relict gull nests on the islands of Lake Alakol, in the eastern part of Balkhash and on the lakes of the Pavlodar Irtysh region. Observed on migration at Lake Zhalanashkol and in the corridor of the Dzhungar Gate. From birds ringed on Lake Alakol, one return was received from Northern Vietnam, three from China and two unusual ones - one ring was sent from Bulgaria, where the gull was met on March 25, 1978, the second from Turkey on March 30, 1990, which suggests the wintering of this species on the Black and Mediterranean Seas.

Biology

Relict gull - rare breeding migrant. Inhabits large salt lakes with islands, both permanent and temporary. In spring it appears in late March - April in small groups. Breeds in dense colonies, sometimes more than a thousand pairs, often together with Black-headed Gull, Gull-billed Tern and Black Grey. The nest is built on sandy islands with sparse vegetation and is a shallow hole lined with dry grass, which is added during the incubation process. The nests are located at a short distance from each other. Laying of 1-4 eggs occurs in May. The eggs are a light olive-clay color with dark brown or dark olive and rich light gray spots. Both parents incubate the clutch (the female at night and early in the morning, the male during the day) for 24-26 days and then feed the chicks, which hatch in June and begin to fly at the age of 40-45 days, in July. Autumn migration begins in early August, most birds leave their nesting sites in September. And already at the end of September, one ringed bird was noted at its wintering grounds in Vietnam.

Sources of information

"Birds of Kazakhstan" volume 5. "Science". Alma-Ata, 1974.
E.I. Gavrilov. "Fauna and distribution of birds of Kazakhstan." Almaty, 1999.
Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005.

The relict gull - Larus relictus - in Russia nests only on Lake Barun-Torey in the Chita region. It prefers islands of salt lakes with variable water levels; during the migration period it stays along river valleys and in winter along sea coasts. Starts nesting at the age of 2-3 years. There are 3 eggs in a clutch, reproduction is once a season. Settles in dense colonies of up to several hundred nests. The locations of the colonies change every year. It feeds on insects, grains of cultivated cereals, and less often on aquatic invertebrates, fish, and small rodents. Eating eggs of its own species has been noted and ill-treatment parents with chicks, leading to the death of some of the offspring. No more than two chicks from the clutch rise to the wing.

most likely, it is a relic of the Tertiary period, when there was a huge epicontinental Tethys Sea. This sea has long disappeared, and the birds that once inhabited its coasts and islands “inherited” bizarre and fragmented habitats.

The relict gull was first caught in the spring of 1929 on the river. Edzin Gol in South Gobi. The only skin of this bird lay in the collection for 40 years, causing bewilderment among experts - it was either a hybrid or a morph. Only in 1968-1969, when Kazakh ornithologists on the lake. Alakol discovered a whole colony of 25-30 pairs of the same gulls, it became clear that this is a special type of gull, and also rare, if not endangered. Subsequently, stuffed relict gulls were found in collections collected in the Torey Lakes area in the southeast of the Chita region. Thus, a second nesting site of this species was discovered, located almost 2.5 thousand km from the Kazakhstan one. Alakol - large and deep-sea salt lake with permanent islands, and the Torey lakes are represented by a system of shallow, periodically drying lakes in a saline basin. Nevertheless, relict gulls, living so far from each other and in relatively different habitats, are practically indistinguishable from each other.

For the relict gull in wedding attire Characteristic features are the darkening color of the head from the beak to the neck (from light coffee to black), wide white half-rings near the eyes and dark ends of the wings. These gulls nest in dense colonies, placing nests approximately 40 cm from each other. Birds often settle near or even in the center of a colony of Blackbirds or Gull-billed Terns. In May, relict gulls lay 1-4 eggs, which both birds of the pair incubate for 24-26 days. Downy chicks are pure white in color and stay on land in herds for about three weeks. The parents feed the chicks with burps mainly from various insects. Colony on the lake Birds leave Alakol early, already in August. Their wintering places have not yet been established, but one of the ringed gulls was killed on September 30 on a lake in the Prov. Quang Ninh in northern Vietnam. During the migration period, relict gulls were encountered in Eastern Mongolia. In western Mongolia, a young bird was observed on August 14, 1974, at the overflow of a spring in the foothills of the Gobi Altai, and on July 15, 1979, a pair of adult gulls was observed near a lake in the Munkh-Khairkhan mountains.

Long-term observations of E. M. Auezov on the lake. Alakol showed significant fluctuations in the number of breeding pairs - from 20-40 (1968-1969, 1971 and 1974) to 800-1200 (1976-1977); in 1973 there were no relict gulls here. There is no doubt that in some years there is a redistribution of nesting birds, most likely to lakes in the northwestern part of China, or, as E.M. Auezov suggests, to the islands of lake. Balkhash.

Nesting sites of relict gulls on the lake. Alakol since 1971 declared state reserve, colonies are also protected on the Torey Lakes. This species is included in Appendix 1 of CITES, and its production in the USSR is completely prohibited.

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Taxonomy on Wikispecies

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Categories: Vulnerable species Animals in alphabetical order Endangered species in Russia Seagulls Animals described in 1931 Birds of Eurasia Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Relic (disambiguation) Röling (Bavaria) See what “Relic seagull” is in other dictionaries: Relict gull- Larus relictus see also 10.11.1. Genus Gull Larus Relict gull Larus relictus Similar to the black-headed gull, but the end of the wing is black with white spots, young birds are densely gray above, the head is grayish black. Breeds on the Torey lakes... ... Birds of Russia. Directory relict gull- reliktinis kiras statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Chroicocephalus relictus; Larus relictus engl. relict gull vok. Reliktmöwe, f rus. relict gull, f pranc. mouette relique, f ryšiai: platesnis terminas – tikrieji kirai… Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas Seagull (bird)- The request "Seagull" is redirected here. See also other meanings. ? Gulls Common or black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus) Scientific classification... Wikipedia White gull- Larus eburnea see also 10.11.1. Genus Gulls Larus White gull Larus eburnea Medium size (wingspan about a meter) pure white gull with black legs and a small dark yellowish beak, young with sharp black streaks and dark... ... Birds of Russia. Directory Common gull- Larus canus see also 10.11.1. Genus Gull Larus Common gull Larus canus Medium size (about the size of a crow, wingspan slightly more than a meter) a seagull with a white head, bluish-gray back and wings. The tip of the wing is black with white spots, the beak and... ... Birds of Russia. Directory black-headed gull- Larus ridibundus see also 10.11.1. Genus Gulls Larus Black-headed gull Larus ridibundus Small gull (slightly larger than a pigeon, wingspan about a meter) with a light gray back and wings, bright red legs, dark red beak, rather thin,... ... Birds of Russia. Directory Black-headed gull- Larus melanocephalus see also 10.11.1. Genus Gulls Larus Black-headed gull Larus melanocephalus A small gull (wingspan slightly less than a meter), similar to a lake gull, with a grayish back and wings, red legs. The beak is stronger,... ... Birds of Russia. Directory Little gull- Larus minutus see also 10.11.1. Genus Gulls Larus Lesser gull Larus minutus A very small gull (wingspan 60-70 cm), with grayish wings and back, red legs and beak. The head is completely black in summer, light with... ... Birds of Russia. Directory Fork-tailed gull- Larus sabini see also 10.11.1. Genus Gulls Larus Fork-tailed Gull Larus sabini Small gull (wingspan about 80 cm) with a notch on the tail. The head in summer is dark gray with a black border (from a distance it appears black), in autumn and winter it is grayish with... ... Birds of Russia. Directory Pink seagull- Larus rosea see also 10.11.1. Genus Gulls Larus Pink Gull Larus rosea A small gull (wingspan about 80 cm) with a wedge-shaped tail, red legs and a short black beak. The back and wings are light, bluish-gray, in summer there is a narrow... Birds of Russia. Directory