Taxonomia
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Birds
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Genus: Chroicephalus
Species: Chroicephalus ridibundus
Estado de Conservação da Espécie em Portugal e no Mundo
Portugal
Mundo
Características e
Hábitos
In terms of size, it has a length between 34 and 37 cm and a wingspan between 100 and 110 cm. It is easily identified by its red beak and legs. In terms of plumage, in winter it is mainly light grey on the wings and white on the chest and head, with a black ear patch. In spring and summer, the males acquire their breeding plumage with a darker head, something that is not regularly seen in Portugal since this species is a winter visitor. It flies in flocks of hundreds or sometimes thousands of individuals.
It feeds on a wide variety of foods, from insects and aquatic mollusks to sometimes small fish. It nests around April and May, making a nest consisting of vegetation set on sand.
Habitat e Distribuição
It is a common wintering migratory bird, present in Portugal mainly from September to March. Its habitats are primarily aquatic, such as beaches, estuaries, rivers, lagoons, and reservoirs. In Portugal, it is mostly found along the coast, especially in the estuary areas of the Tagus, Sado, Mondego, and Ria de Aveiro rivers. It is also observed in the Alentejo region. It is rare to see it in the highlands. In terms of nesting, it rarely nests in Portugal, as it does so in spring in northern and central Europe, but there are records of occasional nesting in the Sado and Mondego estuaries and the Alentejo region.
Todas as Fotografias Realizadas
