Order CHARADRIIFORMES | Family LARIDAE |
Larus canus Linnaeus, 1758 Common (Mew) Gull Races:
Larus canus major Middendorff, 1853
Common, in places abundant or rare breeding migrant. Inhabits river valleys or steppe fresh lakes with developed above-water vegetation and salty lakes with islands too. Arrives in end March – April, migration finishes in mid-May, in small flocks of up to 30-50 birds. Breeds singly or in colonies up to one thousand pairs, together with Black-headed Gull, Black Tern or Little Gull often. Nest is built on dry heaps of reed, hummocks, banks or islands from small reed pieces and grass, up to 5-10 m each of other. Clutches of 2-3 eggs in end April – May. Both parent incubate for 25 days and care for juveniles, which hatch in May – June, and begin to fly at 35 days old, in mid-June – early July. Repeated breeding not rare after loss of clutches. Autumn migration in August – September, latest birds recorded in mid-October – mid-November.
breeds in northern half of plain Kazakhstan, south up to Dzhanybek, Sorkol and Balykty lakes in area between Volga and Ural rivers, lover reaches of Irgiz river and Zaysan depression. On migration occurs almost everywhere. One bird was observed 24 April 1981 on Markakol’ lake. In mid December 22 birds recorded on Sorbulak lake near Almaty.
Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005
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