Grey-headed Gull in South America

Grey-headed Gull in South America
Scientific name: Larus cirrocephalus
(1)
Family: Laridae
Spanish name: Gaviota capucho gris
Migration: Partial Neotropical migrant
Population estimate: No data
Trend: No data
Ramsar Criterion 6 (1% level): No data
IUCN Conservation status: Not known to
have unfavourable conservation status
Distribution and abundances
Distributes mainly in central-east South America, breeding
in south-east Brazil, east Argentina, Paraguay and
Uruguay. In Argentina distributes mainly within the
Pampas region and along the coasts of Patagonia south to
Golfo San Jorge, with some record in Tierra del Fuego. A
second population distributes along the Pacific coasts of
Peru and Ecuador (see Abundances map). Few sites with
more than 7,000 birds (all in Argentina), including the
Estuario del Río Dulce and rubbish dumps in the
surroundings of Buenos Aires city, in which abundances
reached tens of thousands.
Migration and seasonality
Post-breeding dispersion from central-east Argentina and
Uruguay to the north reaching central-east Brazil. Part of the population is resident or
disperse short distances, with birds that breed in inland wetlands moving to the coast
during the non-breeding period. Dispersion occurs along the East Patagonia Route and
south along the coast of Patagonia. Between July and September individuals of the
Pacific population occurs in the south of Peru. (see Seasonality map).
Habitat
Inland in fresh-water and blackish marshes and lagoons -where they nest in colonies,
sometimes mixed with the Brown-hooded Gull, along rivers and in ploughed fields. Also
occurs along the coast, in estuaries and off-shore islands.
Habits and interactions with human activities
Recorded in big numbers in the rubbish dumps of the surroundings of Buenos Aires city,
in Argentina. Also in rural areas, close to wetlands.
(1) Larus (=Chroicocephalus) cirrocephalus
Bibliography
Canevari, M., P. Canevari, G.R. Carrizo, G. Harris, J. Rodríguez Mata & R. Straneck. 1991. Nueva
Guía de las Aves Argentinas. Fundación Acindar. Santiago de Chile. Tome I: 200 pp. and Tome II:
182 pp.
De la Peña, M.R. & M. Rumboll. 1998. Birds of southern South America and Antarctica. Collins
Illustrated Checklist. Harper-Collins Pub. London.
del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott & J. Sargatal (eds). 1996. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 3.
Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Ed., Barcelona.
Fjeldsa, J. & N. Krabbe. 1990. Birds of the High Andes. Zoological Museum, Univ. of Copenhagen,
Denmark.
Narosky, T. & D. Yzurieta. 1987. Guía para la identificación de las aves de Argentina y Uruguay.
Asoc. Ornitológica del Plata. Vázquez Manzini Ed. Buenos Aires. 345 pp.
Olrog, C.C. 1963. Lista y distribución de las aves argentinas. Opera Lilloana IX, Tucumán.
Olrog, C.C. 1968. Las aves sudamericanas: Una guía de campo. Tomo I. Universidad Nacional de
Tucumán, Fundación - Instituto Miguel Lillo, Tucumán, Argentina.
Rodríguez Mata, J., F. Erize & M. Rumboll. 2006. Guía de Campo Collins – Aves de Sudamérica: No
Passeriformes. Harper Collins Ltd.
Wetlands International. 2006. Waterbird Population Estimates – Fourth Edition. Wetlands
International, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Authors: Daniel E. Blanco, Román Baigún & Bernabé López-Lanús
Data compiler: Ignacio Roesler
Photographer: Roberto Güller
Recommended citation: Blanco D.E., R. Baigún & B. López-Lanús. 2008. Grey-headed Gull in
South America factsheet. Wetlands International for the Global Avian Influenza Network for
Surveillance / WCS / USAID.
This factsheet and maps were made possible through support provided by the Office of
Health, Infectious Disease and Nutrition, Bureau for Global Health, U.S. Agency for
International Development and Wildlife Conservation Society, under the terms of
Leader Award No.LAG-A-00-99-00047-00, Cooperative Agreement: GHS-A-00-0600005. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Agency for International Development or
Wildlife Conservation Society.