Larus heuglini (Heuglin's gull) 

Heuglinse meeu [Afrikaans]; Siberische meeuw [Dutch]; Goéland de Heuglin [French]

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Deuterostomia > Chordata > Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates)  > Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class: Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial vertebrates) > Tetrapoda (four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota > Reptilia (reptiles) > Romeriida > Diapsida > Archosauromorpha > Archosauria > Dinosauria (dinosaurs) > Saurischia > Theropoda (bipedal predatory dinosaurs) > Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves (birds) > Order: Charadriiformes > Family: Laridae >  Genus: Larus

Heuglin's gull, Taiwan. [photo Awei Lee ©]

Distribution and habitat

Breeds in Eurasia, from the eastern White Sea to the Taimyr Peninsula, Russia, heading south in the non-breeding season to the Black Sea and the coast of East Africa, from Eritrea to Tanzania. Stragglers may venture further south to southern Africa, where it in an uncommon to rare but regular visitor along the eastern coast, from Mozambique to the Eastern Cape, generally preferring open beaches.

Food 

It is mainly a pelagic forager, flying out to sea and back every day; it has never been observed foraging ashore.

References

• Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts - Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.