Description:

Smaller and daintier gull, with shorter and finer bill. Adult has darker grey mantle than Caspian, with more black on wing-tips; bill yellowish green, with dark subterminal band in non-breeding plumage, and dark iris. Head and hind-neck heavily marked in non-breeding.

Distribution:

Vagrant during passage migration in Gilgit-Baltistan, with no latest records from the area. Usually make short stops around lakes, marshes, streams and rivers with nearby vegetation and grasslands. During passage from lowlands up to 3000m high.

Behavior:

Occasionally kleptoparasitic; also occasionally uses aerial foraging, rarely hover-gleaning; swim-dipping and surface-dipping have been recorded. Highly omnivorous but favors terrestrial and coastal locations when foraging. Chiefly feeds on earthworms, insects, aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, small fish; grain (in spring); occasionally kills birds and small mammals.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Mew Gull in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Mew 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.