Black-headed gull. Also known as laughing gulls, fishing langs, black-headed gulls, common black-headed gulls, etc. The most common gulls that come to Kunming every year for wintering are red-headed gulls and brown-headed gulls, among which the red-headed gulls are white or gray; The iris is brown, with white plume rings around the eyes, grayish-black distinct spots on the anterior edge of the eyes and ear area, and red on the mouth and toes; The brown-headed gull has a brown-brown head and upper neck, a slightly black wing margin, a moon-shaped white spot on the back edge of the eye, and an earthy yellow beak and toes. Red-headed gulls tend to arrive in Kunming in mid-October or early November each year and leave in late March or early April of the following year. For nearly 40 years, from 1985 to 2024, there has been no interruption every year.
According to the statistics of relevant departments and professionals, in the winter of 2024, in addition to the most common red-headed gulls and brown-headed gulls in the past, there are more than 14 species of gulls wintering in the Dianchi Lake basin of Kunming. The new gull species added in 2024 include fish gull, three-toed gull, brown-headed gull, gray-winged gull, gull-billed noise gull, red-billed giant tern, black-tailed gull, white-fronted tern, white-winged gull, common seagull, small gull, and slender-billed gull. On the one hand, these gulls appear in Kunming, which enriches the species of seagulls that winter in Kunming, and on the other hand, it shows that the climate and environment of Kunming are becoming more and more suitable for seagulls to migrate and winter.
As a winter migratory bird, the red-headed gull prefers clumps, lakes, and muddy and sandy tidal flats near the estuary. The red-headed gull is an omnivorous bird that feeds on small fish, shrimp, aquatic insects, crustaceans, earthworms, marine invertebrates, etc. The most amazing thing about the red-headed gull is that it regurgitates its food to the ground for the chicks to eat, and the parents adjust the amount of regurgitation according to the feeding conditions of the chicks. In Kunming, the most concentrated foothold of the red-headed gull is around the Dianchi Lake, such as the Haigeng Dam, the South Dianchi National Wetland Park, the Daguanlou Park, the Cuihu Park and other places, every day there are many citizens and visitors who come to watch the birds, welcome these visitors who come to winter.
The red-headed gull is found in Eurasia and winters in North Africa, Western Europe, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, India and Southeast Asia. Today, the red-headed gull is protected on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Every winter, the red-headed gull will fly from distant Siberia over thousands of mountains and rivers, and fly to Kunming as scheduled, bringing warmth and happiness to the citizens of Kunming, and building a warm picture of harmony between humans and gulls with the citizens of Chuncheng, becoming the most beautiful scenery in Kunming, the spring city in winter. Every year after the Spring Festival, the red-headed gull should return one after another, and then rush to upload ** and text on the eve of the Spring Festival, and then the Jiwei miscellaneous notes are ready to put aside the pen temporarily, and continue to work hard after the New Year. Here, I wish the Spring Festival good luck!