Branta Issues > Issue №8 (2005)

Diet and numbers of Yellow-legged Gull (Larus cachinnans) during non-breeding period in the South Crimea

M.M Beskaravayny

This paper presents data on the Yellow-legged Gull number and diet at the Crimean southern coast during its summer-autumn roaming from place to place and in winter. Birds were counted along the routes and in their local concentrations; vagrant birds were counted by estimating a number of these birds, passed per one minute. The composition of the diet was found out by analyzing food lumps. This species is usual for the seashore throughout a year, some roaming along the coastline is observed. Average winter number equals to 11.8+2.7 individuals per one km of the coastline, and it increases during summer-autumn period (30.1+5.5 ind./km on average). In summer diurnal feeding activity of the birds depends on dynamics of recreation load on the coastline. Used habitats vary and include both natural and anthropogenic landscape elements.

The diet composition is mostly determined by recreation use of the coastline. It becomes evident from dominance of food waste in the summer-autumn diet, especially in the central part of the Crimean southern coast (recorded frequency is 69.1%). Aquatic and land animals play a significant role (recorded frequency is 16.2 and 9.8% correspondingly). Taking into account that food waste is a great part of the Yellow-legged Gull diet this bird should consider to be a useful species, performing a sanitary role.