Name:Larus minutus
Alias:Larus minutus,Little Gull,Hydrocoloeus minutus
Outline:Waterfowl
Family:Lariformes Laridae Gull
length:28.7-31cm
Weight:108-150g
Life:25 years or so
IUCN:LC
Little Gull is a small waterfowl with no subspecies.
Little gulls are partly summer birds, partly travellers. Often move in groups. It spends most of its time flying above the water. Flying light, agile, flapping very lightly on the wings. It feeds mainly on spineless movers such as insects, insect larvae, crustaceans and mollusks. Foraging is mainly on the water, but also in flight to hunt flying insects, and sometimes on land.
The little gull's call is a series of loud, nasal kep, repeated over and over again. To show off the sound of ke-KAY, ke-KAY, ke-KAY at the same time both wings as hard as down.
Little gulls breed from May to June. They often breed in large groups, and sometimes mix with other gulls such as floating gulls. They usually nest on lakes, riverbanks, and nearby swamps where there are aquatic plants. The nest is mainly composed of dead grass, reed stems and leaves.
There are usually 2 to 3 eggs per litter, but there are as many as 4 to 5 eggs. The eggs are brown or olive green, with brown spots, and the size of the eggs is 37~46 mm x 26~32 mm. After the first egg is laid, the eggs are incubated, and the male and female birds take turns to bear the burden.
The global population of little gull is about 97,000 to 270,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2006). Population estimates by country are as follows: In China, there are about 100 to 10,000 breeding pairs and 50 to 1,000 travellers; Russia has about 100 to 10,000 breeding pairs and 50 to 1,000 travellers (Brazil 2009).
Listed on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Not Threatened (LC), 2012 assessment.
Listed in China's "National Key Protected Wildlife List" (February 5, 2021) Level 2.
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