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Grey-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus)

Praia do Cassino - Rio Grande, RS, Brazil.

 

This is the South American subspecies (C. c. cirrocephalus), in flight, showing the white spots on the two outer primaries. It's a small gull which breeds patchily in South America. It is not truly migratory, but its range becomes more widespread in winter.

 

In breeding plumage, adults show a distinctive pale grey head, a grey body, and red bill and legs.

 

They are usually found around lakes, rivers, estuaries, and coastal wetlands.

 

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Charadriiformes

Suborder: Lari

Family: Laridae

Subfamily: Larinae

Genus: Chroicocephalus Eyton, 1836

Species: C. cirrocephalus (Vieillot, 1818)

Binomial name: Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus

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Uploaded on September 22, 2025
Taken on August 25, 2025