What does a kittiwake bird look like?

What is the difference between California gull and mantle gull wings?

Mantle:Relatively pale gray, comparable to Ring-billed Gull, lighter than California Gull. Mantle: Mantle similar to Herring Gull Wings: Dark wingtips, but not as prominent as California, not as contrasting and strong as Ring-billed.

Why do black legged kittiwake rats kill their siblings?

Black-legged kittiwake rats also display Shiblaiside, meaning the firstborn baby can kill her sibling to avoid a food competition from her parents. If siblicide, it is most likely seen in the first 10 days of the life of the small calf, in most cases the last born.

Are there different colors of black and white gulls?

The phenomenon isn’t just black and white, though (pun fully intended). If we include shades of gray, we’ll see even more examples. Most adult gulls are gray and white, but on the majority, the pale gray wings have black tips. Many pale gray terns have darker outer primaries.

What kind of bird is the Little Gull?

The little gull is a small gull. Adults in summer have black heads, while young birds have a black mark on each wing which forms a ‘W’ pattern. In flight adults show a pale grey upperwing, with no black wingtips, and a very dark grey underwing.

What is the difference between California gulls and western gulls?

Western Gulls are larger than California Gulls with darker gray backs. Breeding and nonbreeding adults have pink legs, not yellow like California Gulls. Second winter Western Gulls can be separated from second winter California Gulls by their larger size and heavier more bulbous-shaped bill.

What is the difference between herring gulls and California gulls?

Breeding and nonbreeding Herring Gulls are larger than California Gulls with a pale eye and pink legs unlike breeding and nonbreeding California Gulls, which have a dark eye and yellow legs. Second winter Herring Gulls can be separated from second winter California Gulls by their pink legs and pale eye.

Is there a black legged kittiwake at the North Pole?

5. Black-legged Kittiwake On July 1992, as per the report by a team of researchers in the North Pole, the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) was mentioned as one of the animals sighted “at the North Pole or very near the pole.” The black-legged kittiwake is a seabird species belonging to the Laridae gull family.

Why did pigs and rats kill the dodo?

So pigs and rats flourished in the wild, as they also had no natural enemies there. They actually sealed the fate of the dodo by eating all the dodo eggs they could find that were all on the ground in the simple unprotected dodo nests. The mother dodo would only lay one egg per season.

What does the smallest gull look like?

Smallest gull in the world. Compact with short legs, short rounded wings, and small bill. Breeding adults have black head, pale gray back, white wingtips, and blackish underwings. Nonbreeding adults have a black ear patch and smudgy cap.

Where do little gulls come from?

In North America the Little Gull is most frequently observed during winter and on migration in groups of one to three, usually associated with larger flocks of Bonaparte’s Gulls. The oldest known Little Gull was found in Finland, a banded individual that lived to be at least 20 years, 11 months old.

What is the difference between juvenile western gulls and California gulls?

Juvenile Western Gulls are larger than juvenile California Gulls and are often darker brown. Breeding and nonbreeding Ring-billed Gulls can be separated from California Gulls by their smaller size and paler eye. They also lack the red spot on the lower bill seen on breeding and nonbreeding California Gulls.

What is the difference between ring-billed and California gulls?

First winter Ring-billed Gulls tend to be whiter overall than first winter California Gulls. They also have paler gray feathers coming in on the back than California Gulls. Ring-billed Gulls can be separated from California Gulls by their smaller size and shorter bill.

What does a large white-headed gull look like?

Large white-headed gull with a heavy bill and pink legs. Breeding adults have a dark gray back, on orange ring around the eye, and a red spot on the lower bill. Large white-headed gull with a slaty gray back. Nonbreeding birds have very little streaking on the neck, unlike other gull species of the same age.

Why did humans kill so many dodos?

In other words, humans killed dodos in less than a century. Dodos were exploited for food and exhibition, and the explorers had no concern for what their arrival meant for endemic species. Dodos had always had resources available, and they had not adapted to compete.

Where do little gulls go during migration?

During migration Little Gulls forage along large lakes or coastal waters for small fish. Note slender black bill and small size. The crown and ear patch on some juveniles is brownish black.

What is the difference between Little Gull and Bonaparte?

Size-wise Bonaparte’s lies between Black-headed and Little Gull, though it most closely resembles the former at all plumage stages. However, the quicker wing-beats may recall Little Gull and the feeding action recalls that of terns as they feed by picking items off the surface.

What does an adult little gull look like?

Adult Little Gull shows a distinctive upperwing pattern, with a neatly contrasting white trailing edge to the primaries and secondaries, which becomes broadest at the outer primary tips. Note also the small, dark bill and distinctive wing shape, with rather blunt-tipped primaries (Steve Young / www.birdsonfilm.com ).

Why are there so many little gulls in the UK?

These species breed further east in eastern Europe, Scandinavia and into Russia yet their migration route brings them through Britain and Ireland. The weather plays an important role too and periods of easterly winds in the spring are more likely to bring Little Gulls and Black Terns to us.

What is the difference between a little gull and a black-headed gull?

At all ages, any summer-plumaged Black-headed Gull exhibits a dark brown (not black) hood, with an obvious white eyering – which Little Gull lacks. In terms of size and structure, North America’s Bonaparte’s Gull is a ‘halfway house’ between Black-headed and Little Gulls, with some plumage features also intermediate.

What is the difference between Bonaparte’s gull and little gull?

Adult Bonaparte’s Gull has an upperwing pattern superficially similar to Black-headed, rather than Little, with the white ‘wedge’ on the outer primaries and the black trailing edge to the primaries. However, note the black bill (Pablo Gutiérrez).

What is the difference between Little Gull and black-headed gull?

Structurally, Black-headed Gulls are longer legged and longer billed, the latter varying from a mid-orange (with dark tip) to deep reddish in colour, depending on the season. At all ages, any summer-plumaged Black-headed Gull exhibits a dark brown (not black) hood, with an obvious white eyering – which Little Gull lacks.

What is the underwing pattern of Little Gull?

Adult summer Little Gull (Seaforth, Lancashire, 17 April 2012). If the upperwing pattern of adult Little Gull was distinctive, then the underwing pattern is even more so. Appearing dark in most lights, even when well lit, the largely dark underwing contrasts neatly with the white trailing edge.