This vulnerable gull is called a relict because it was long treated as a subspecies or hybrid of Mediterranean gull, until 1970s, it was known to be a distinct monotypic species. This is a classical example of how new species discovery can be easily overlooked. This rare gull only breeds in Northern China, Mongolia and Central Asia while the wintering ground is still incompletely understood. There are occasional records in Hong Kong, which I have missed several times, but finally, we were lucky to tick an immature bird few years ago.
沒有留言:
張貼留言