Birding/ Bird watching on Cyprus

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Length: 60 cm
Wingspan:
Weight: 950 to 1050 g
Longevity:
Distinctive Feature • A large gull with coloration typical of the genus. The bill is short with a notable black band just before the tip.
Similar Species • Slightly smaller than Yellow-legged Gulls and have a slightly darker grey back and dark eyes. The area of black on the wingtips is more extensive with smaller white spots. From opus at www.birdforum.net the forum for wild birds and birding.

The Armenian gull (Larus armenicus) is a large gull found in the Caucasus and the Middle East. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the European herring gull (L. argentatus), but is now generally considered to be a separate species, although BirdLife International lumps it with the yellow-legged gull (L. michahellis).

The Armenian gull is a fairly large gull species, though it is on average the smallest of the "herring gull" complex. It can range from 52 to 62 cm, from 120 to 145 cm across the wings, and weighs from 600 to 960 g. Among standard measurements, its wing chord is 38.5 to 45.8 cm, its bill is 4.1 to 5.6 cm and its tarsus is 5.7 to 6.4 cm.

They are superficially similar to yellow-legged gulls but are slightly smaller with a slightly darker grey back and dark eyes. The area of black on the wingtips is more extensive with smaller white spots. The bill is short with a distinctive black band just before the tip.

Juvenile Armenian Gull

Cyprus - March 2021

Armenian Gull with dark eyes

Cyprus - March 2021

First-winter birds are mainly brown. They have a whitish rump, pale inner primary feathers, and a narrow, sharply-defined black band on the tail. Although their ranges do not overlap, with its darkish mantle, both black and red near the tip of its bill and a dark eye, the Armenian gull bears a remarkable resemblance to the California gull (L. californicus) of North America.

The Armenian gull nests beside mountain lakes in Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, and western Iran. The largest colonies are at Lake Sevan and Lake Arpi in Armenia.

An illustration of Armenian gulls on a 2003 Armenian stamp

By Haypost - http://www.birdtheme.org/mainlyimages/index.php?spec=3333&code=17,
It is a partial migrant, with many birds wintering on the coasts of Turkey, Lebanon, and Israel. Smaller numbers reach Cyprus, Egypt, and the Persian Gulf.

The nest is a mound of vegetation built on the ground on an island or the lakeshore. Three eggs are laid, mainly in late April. The nesting colonies are very dense with nests close together and territorial conflicts are common.

Range map from www.oiseaux.net - Ornithological Portal Oiseaux.net

www.oiseaux.net is one of those MUST visit pages if you're in to bird watching. You can find just about everything there

Length: 60 cm

Wingspan:

Weight: 950 to 1050 g

Longevity:

Distinctive Feature

• A large gull with coloration typical of the genus. The bill is short with a notable black band just before the tip.

Similar Species

• Slightly smaller than Yellow-legged Gulls and have a slightly darker grey back and dark eyes. The area of black on the wingtips is more extensive with smaller white spots.

From opus at www.birdforum.net the forum for wild birds and birding.

Listen to the Armenian Gull

Sound from www.xeno-canto.org

Conservation status

Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2016.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

www.birdforum.net

Sighted: (Date of first photo that I could use) 16 March 2021
Location: eBird hotspot: Lady's Mile, Cyprus

Armenian Gull, Larus armenicus - 16 March 2021
eBird hotspot: Lady's Mile, Cyprus

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