The red-billed gulls have returned, and Kunming's 2020 gull watching season has begun. Because of the red-billed gull's red beak, Kunming people are most familiar with it. On November 24, the reporter learned from the Kunming Bird Association that according to the observation records of experts for many years, the gulls that came to Kunming for wintering or migrating with the red-billed gulls were not only one kind of red-billed gulls, according to the "Yunnan Bird List 2020.1", there were 13 species of gulls in the Dianchi Lake Basin.
Zhao Xuebing, secretary general of the Kunming Bird Association, introduced that bird experts at home and abroad have strengthened the video record in the past decade, and the high-definition beautiful pictures of these gulls can be presented in front of the reader's eyes. Some of these rare species, such as the Yellow-billed River Tern, have appeared in Dianchi Lake in previous years, but in recent years they have not been seen in recent years, and in January 2020, photography enthusiasts photographed 3 in Yingjiang County, Dehong Prefecture. They hope that citizens and tourists will also keep an eye on the gulls to see if there are new gull species in Kunming. Wang Zhibin, deputy secretary-general of the Kunming Bird Society, said: "From mid-October to mid-March of the following year, it is a day when all kinds of gulls winter in Kunming, and the number of birds in recent years is about 40,000. They like to come to Kunming for winter, in addition to the natural climate, environment and abundant food and other factors, but also with the protection of birds by the public, we live with them in this beautiful landscape. ”
black-headed gull
More than 95% of the gulls that come to Kunming for wintering are red-billed gulls, so Kunming people are most familiar with them.
Appearance: The body size and coat color are similar to pigeons, with a body length of 37 to 43 cm and a weight of 200 to 350 grams. The beak is red , with most of the body feathers white , black tail feathers , and red feet and toes , which turn orange-yellow in winter.
Lifespan: about 32 years.
Category: Traveling birds, mainly winter migratory birds in China, some summer migratory birds.
Food: Mainly feeds on small fish, shrimp, aquatic insects, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates.
Migration: Usually the time to move to the northern breeding grounds is from March to April in the spring, and the migration to the south is from September to October in the autumn.
Habitat: A large number of red-billed gulls that come to Kunming inhabit Dianchi Lake and appear in urban parks and lakes during the day.
Fishing gulls
Because it sounds like a wild cat called spring, the fishing gull is also called the "sea owl".
Appearance: General body length 63 ~ 72 cm, weight 1500 ~ 2000 grams, large body shape. The mouth is orange-red, with a slightly curved tip and dark spots up and down. Adults wear a "black hat" on their heads, a grayish-white back, white belly and wings, white eye circles, a black tail, and black wings.
Food: Feeds mainly on fish, crustaceans and lizards.
Habitat: Mainly inhabits lakes, large rivers and river network areas at the mouth of rivers, usually in clusters of habitats. Fishing gulls are good at flying and swimming, and like to forage upside down in shallow water.
Observation: This gull has been found in flocks of gulls that come to Kunming for the winter, but it is not clear whether it is a passing bird or a resident bird.
black-legged kittiwake
The number is very small, 7 years ago Zhao Xuebing photographed this three-toed gull at the Haigeng Dam.
Appearance: Medium-sized seabird, body length 38 ~ 47 cm, weight 310 ~ 500 g. In addition to the body color is grayish white on the back and wings, the wing tips are black, the whole body feathers are snow white, the beak is yellow, and the legs and claws are black.
Food: Often in groups, feeding mainly on small fish, and sometimes crustaceans and molluscs.
Migration: Three-toed gulls are winter migratory birds in China, migrating from October to November and leaving in April and May.
Observation: Due to restrictions on the living environment, three-toed gulls are not common in Kunming, and the number is very small.
Brown-headed gull
The number of gulls coming to Kunming to overwinter accounts for the second place, with a number of nearly 4%. Brown-headed gulls are sometimes found in the vanguard of the gulls, and their head color is brown, slightly larger than the red-billed gull, which is easy to find and distinguish.
Appearance: Medium-sized waterbird, body length 41 ~ 46 cm, weight 450 ~ 700 g. The back is gray , with large white spots at the base of the primary flight feathers , and white spots on the black wingtips. Winter birds have dark brown patches behind the eyes, and the head and neck of the summer bird are brown. It is distinguished from the red-billed gull in that it has a light iris ( appears to have whitish eyes ) , a thicker mouth , slightly larger , and a different wingtip marking , and a hoarse call. There is a particularly striking white spot on the wing, which is the biggest difference between it and the red-billed gull.
Category: Traveling birds, mainly winter migratory birds in China, some summer migratory birds, and the same species as red-billed gulls.
Migration: Usually, brown-headed gulls arrive in Kunming three or four days, a week or ten days earlier than red-billed gulls, which can be described as a "vanguard force".
Siberian silver gull
This is a large gull, larger than two red-billed gulls combined. This kind of gull appears in the sea off Dianchi Lake and in the sea of grass, and can be seen in places such as Haigeng Park, and the number is dozens of them every year.
Aliases: Black-backed Gull, Pale Red-footed Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Osprey and Fish-Eater.
Shape: Silver gull body length of 55 ~ 73 cm, large body shape, generally weigh 800 ~ 1700 grams, in the gull flock is very prominent. The head is flat, the head, neck and lower body of the summer feathers are pure white, the dorsal and winglines are silvery gray, the waist and tail covert feathers are pure white, the ends of the flight feathers are black and brown, with white spots, the mouth is yellow, the tip of the lower mouth has red spots, and the winter feathers have brown fine longitudinal stripes on the head and neck.
Food: Feeds mainly on fish and aquatic invertebrates, but also pecks at rodents, lizards, animal carcasses, and sometimes bird eggs and chicks.
Habitat: It inhabits rivers, lakes, swamps, and coasts and islands in tundra, deserts and meadows in summer, and mainly in coastal and estuarine areas in winter.
whiskered tern
Such gulls rarely appear, and in April this year, Wang Zhibin photographed eight in the Nandianchi Wetland in Jinning.
Appearance: Body length 25 cm, dark belly (summer), tail light split. During the breeding period, the forehead is black and the chest and abdomen are gray. The non-breeding period is white in the forehead, with fine lines on the top of the head, black on the back of the top and back of the neck, white under the body, and gray in the wings, back, back and upper tail.
Food: Mainly eat fish, shrimp, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates, but also prey on chicks, bird eggs, insects, food habits are more mixed.
Habitat: Coastal, overhanging rocks, coastal beaches of offshore islands. Often in pairs or in small groups. It flies over the sea and over rocky reefs. When resting, they stand in groups on overhanging rocks or on the beach.
Gull-billed noisy gulls
This gull is not in a herd, and appears in other flocks of gulls every year, and the number is only 3 to 5.
Appearance: Medium-sized waterfowl, body length 31 ~ 39 cm. The forehead, crown, pillow and sides of the head are black from above the eyes and ear feathers. The back, shoulders, waist and wings are covered with feathers in grey. The hind neck , upper tail feathers and tail are white , with a pair of tail feathers grey in the center. The tail is deeply forked. The winter plumage is white with grey on the top of the head and pillow, with inconspicuous gray-brown longitudinal stripes. There is a small black stripe in front of the eyes, and a smoke-gray black spot in the ear area. The back of the neck is white.
Habitat: Does not like dense water bodies. Nest in pairs or loose small groups. Nests are often placed on mounds with sparse saline plants in swamps, or on bare sand on the banks of rivers and lakes.
Food: Feeds mainly on insects, insect larvae, lizards and small fish. Also eats crustaceans and molluscs.
Red-billed giant gulls
This is a medium-sized gull, larger than the red-billed gull, and generally moves alone, and bird experts have only found and recorded 1 in Dianchi Lake.
Appearance: Large water bird, body length 47 ~ 55 cm. Summer feathers are black on the forehead, crown, pillow and crown feathers. The hind neck , tail coverts and tail are white , and the tail is forked. The coverts on the back, shoulders and wings are silver-grey. The first and lower side of the head below the eye and ear feathers are white. The chin, throat and entire lower body are also white. Winter feathers and summer feathers are roughly similar, but the forehead and top of the head are white with black longitudinal stripes. Some heads are all white, with only black spots in the ear area.
Habitat: Coastal sands, flat mud, islands and coastal marshlands. It also inhabits lakes and rivers in estuaries, inland plains and deserts. They often nest in small groups.
Black-tailed gulls
This is a very beautiful large gull, recorded in Kunming, appeared a few years ago, and has not been found in the past two years.
Appearance: Medium-sized waterfowl, body length 43 ~ 51 cm. The head , neck , waist and tail coverts , as well as the entire underbody , are all white , and the dorsal and wings are dark grey. The primary coverts on the wings are black, the rest of the coverts are dark grey, and the large coverts have a grayish-white apex. Winter feathers are similar to summer feathers, but have gray-brown spots from the top of the head to the back of the neck. Often move in groups.
Food: Catches upper fish mainly on the surface of the sea.
Habitat: Usually nests on rocky platforms on the cliffs of the coast inaccessible, but also on small seaside islands and mounds in inland lakes and swamps near the coast. It is found in China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, and Vietnam.
White-fronted tern
It was recorded many years ago in Dianchi Lake.
Appearance: Body length 22 ~ 27 cm, weight 55 ~ 60 grams. The top of Xia Yu's head, nape and eye stripes are black and his forehead is white. The black color on the top of the head and back of the neck of the winter feather is reduced to crescent shape.
Category: Birds of the family Ploveridae, resident birds in Taiwan and summer migratory birds in mainland China.
Food: Often group activities, fish and shrimp, aquatic insects as the main food.
Habitat: A common summer breeding bird in China, it breeds from northeast to southwest and along the coasts of South China and Hainan, as well as most of the inland coast. It inhabits grasses, reeds and bushes near water areas, as well as in freshwater bodies such as coastal coasts, islands, estuaries and coastal swamps and ponds, and offshore uninhabited islands and reefs.
white-winged tern
Only 1 such gull has been found in Dianchi Lake.
Category: Gulls, a small waterbird in the genus Floating Gulls.
Appearance: Summer feathers have a dark red mouth and red feet. The head, neck, jaw, and lower body are black. The wings are gray , the small coverts on the wings are white , the waist and tail are also white , and the whole body is black except for the tail and wings that are partially white when flying. The winter feathers have a black beak , dark red feet , a white head , neck , and lower body , and dark spots on the top of the head and pillow that connect with the dark spots behind the eyes and extend to the eyes. The dorsal and wings are greyish brown, and the tip of the wing is dark.
Food: Mainly feeds on small fish, shrimp, insects, insect larvae, etc.
Habitat: Distributed in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, northeast Inner Mongolia, northern Hebei.
seagull
This gull has appeared many times in Kunming.
Shape: Medium size, about 45 cm long. The legs and the thin beak without spotting rings are greenish yellow and the tail is white. The primary feathers are white with large white wing mirrors. In winter, the head and neck are scattered with fine brown lines, and sometimes the tip of the mouth is black. The iris is yellow, the mouth is greenish yellow, and the feet are greenish yellow.
Habitat: Distributed in Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Hebei, Henan, Yunnan, Hainan, Taiwan.
Yellow-billed river terns
Bird experts have observed and documented Dianchi Lake many years ago. This gull was photographed in Yingjiang County, Dehong Prefecture.
Appearance: Medium-sized waterfowl, body length 37 ~ 43 cm, weight of 134 ~ 170 g. The mouth is long and yellow, the legs are red or orange, and the tail is deeply forked and long. The upper body , waist and tail are dark gray , the outer tail feathers are white , and the wing tips are nearly black. The forehead, crown, and occipital part of the summer feather, including the crown feathers and the entire head from the underside of the eye to the ear area, are black and have a green metallic luster, which is significantly different from the species of gulls and floating gulls. Wintering adults have black beaks, white foreheads and crowns, brown on the top of their heads and upperparts in winter, gray on the sides of the thorax, and white underparts.
Category: Yellow-billed river terns are resident birds.
Habitat: It often inhabits freshwater waters and occasionally occurs in small coastal estuaries. They often move alone or in small groups of 2 to 3, frequently flying over rivers and rarely resting.
Observation: Rare in China, resident birds are distributed in southeastern Tibet, western yunnan and southwestern Yunnan, and have appeared in Yingjiang County in recent years, and the population has recovered to 13 this year.
Spring City Evening News-Kaiping News Reporter Zuo Xuejia Intern Wang Ying Cui Xinshuang Li Yuting Wen
Kunming Bird Association Wang Zhibin Zhao Xuebing Li Fusong photo