Description:

A medium-sized, slenderer gull, with a more rounded head, slightly thinner and more drooping bill. Generally stockier and squarer-headed than Caspian. Adult has darker grey upperparts; head more heavily streaked in non-breeding plumage. Eyes yellow. Adult shows more extensive black on wing-tips than Caspian.

Distribution:

Uncommon passage migrant through Gilgit-Baltistan, rare in Ghizer, Shigar and Ghanche. Usually make short stops around lakes, marshes, streams and rivers with nearby vegetation and grasslands. During passage from lowlands up to 4000m high.

Behavior:

Foraging methods include contact-dipping and surface-plunging; tends to avoid sites frequented by other gulls, and forages in deeper water, mainly by plunge-diving. Diet diverse and opportunistic. Frequent items include small fish, aquatic invertebrates, birds' eggs and chicks, trawler discards, rodents and berries.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Lesser Black-backed Gull in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Lesser Black-backed Gull

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.