Branta Issues > Issue №14 (2011)

The Yellow-Legged Gull (Larus cachinnans) in Odesa and its nesting on a roof of the building

I. T. Rusev, D. V. Radkov, S. L. Kurochkin

The publication presents the first case of nesting the Yellow-legged Gull (Larus cachinnans Pall., 1811) in an urban area of Ukraine. The bird nested on a roof of the building in Odesa in 2011. Monitoring of this species to find nesting sites on roofs of manystored buildings was conducted in 2006-2011. It is found out that a huge trash dump near Odesa attracts up to 50,000 Yellow-Legged Gulls during wintering periods. These gulls occur in the centre of the city during severe winters and try to found some food near garbage bins on the streets. During March and early April gulls constantly fly over the city looking for suitable surfaces to build nests. The nest of the Yellow-Legged Gull, which we found in Odesa for the first time, was built on one of the towers on the roof of Gymnasium No 2. Cats and Hooded Crows disturb gulls and try to steal some food or catch a small chick. The start of nesting Yellow-Legged Gulls in Odesa may turn into a problem in the nearest future, because this species can be a natural carrier of many bacteria and viruses, and thus take part in dynamic epizootic processes.