Skimmers, Noddies, Terns, and Gulls
Brown-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus
- Family
- Skimmers, Noddies, Terns, and Gulls (Laridae)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
Overview
The brown-headed gull (Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus) is a small gull which breeds in the high plateaus of central Asia from Tajikistan to Ordos in Inner Mongolia. It is migratory, wintering on the coasts and large inland lakes of the Indian subcontinent. As is the case with many gulls, was traditionally placed in the genus Larus.
This gull breeds in colonies in large reedbeds or marshes, or on islands in lakes, nesting on the ground.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Breeds inland Tibetan Plateau of Tajikistan, Xinjiang (western China), Ladakh (far northwestern India), and Tibet; winters inland and coastal Indian Subcontinent, southwestern China, and western southeast Asia.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Brown-headed gull
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
