The relict gull or Central Asian gull is a medium-sized gull. It was believed to be an eastern race of the Mediterranean gull until 1971 and was traditionally placed in the genus Larus.
Region
Central Asia and East Asia
Typical Environment
Relict gulls breed patchily on isolated islands in saline or brackish steppe lakes of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and adjacent regions of Russia and northwest China. After breeding, they migrate to coastal East Asia, especially the Bohai and Yellow Seas in China, and occasionally the Korean Peninsula. Wintering birds favor intertidal mudflats, estuaries, saltpans, and sheltered bays. During passage they may also use large inland wetlands and river deltas.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Continental
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The relict gull was long considered an eastern form of the Mediterranean gull until recognized as a distinct species in 1971. It breeds on remote islands within saline and alkaline lakes of Central Asia and winters along East Asian coasts. Its breeding success is tightly linked to fluctuating lake levels that create or remove predator-free islets. Disturbance, habitat alteration, and changing hydrology are its main threats.
Temperament
social and wary
Flight Pattern
buoyant flier with steady wingbeats; glides and soars over water
Social Behavior
Nests colonially on low, sparsely vegetated islands that are isolated by water to deter predators. Pairs are monogamous within a season, performing head-tossing and calling displays during courtship. Both sexes incubate and brood the chicks, which are semi-precocial and leave the nest scrape soon after hatching.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
Calls are loud, nasal yelps and mewing notes, often given in repeated series during display and colony interactions. Alarm calls are harsher and more rapid when predators or humans approach nesting sites.
