Mongolian gull

The Mongolian gull (Larus mongolicus) is a large gull of the herring gull/lesser black-backed gull complex which breeds in Northeast Asia. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Vega gull (Larus vegae).

Mongolian gull
Vega or Mongolian gull on the Lake Baikal.
Conservation status
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Charadriiformes
Family:	Laridae
Genus:	Larus
Species:	L. mongolicus
Binomial name
Larus mongolicus Sushkin, 1925
Synonyms
Larus argentatus mongolicus Larus vegae mongolicus

Adult Mongolian gulls swimming on Lake Baikal

Taxonomy

The Mongolian gull was formally described in 1925 by the Russian ornithologist Petr Sushkin based on specimens collected near the Üüreg Lake in northwest Mongolia. He considered it to be a subspecies of the European herring gull and coined the trinomial name Larus argentatus mongolicus. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Vega gull (Larus vegae) but is now treated as a separate species based on its distinct morphology and vocalization.

Distribution and habitat

The Mongolian gull breeds from the Altai Republic to Lake Baikal (in central southern Russia), Mongolia, Lake Khanka in northeast China, and on islands in the Yellow Sea. In winter it migrates southeast to the coasts of Japan, the Korean Peninsula, eastern China and Taiwan.