Gulls (Laridae)

Relict Gull (Larus relictus) - HBW 3, p. 618

French: Mouette relique German: Reliktmöwe Spanish: Gaviota Relicta
Other common names: Central Asian Gull

Taxonomy: Larus melanocephalus relictus Lönnberg, 1931, Inner Mongolia.
Originally described as race of L. melanocephalus, known only from 1 specimen; then suspected of being an aberrant L. brunnicephalus or a hybrid L. brunnicephalus x L. ichthyaetus. Since breeding colonies discovered in 1970, almost universally considered a distinct species. Monotypic.

Distribution: L Alakol' in NE Kazakhstan; L Barun-Torey in Chita, S Transbaikalia; Tatsain Tsagaan Nuur, C Mongolia; on edge of Edsin Gol, N Gansu, NC China; and Taolimiao-Alashan Nur in C Ordos Highlands, Inner Mongolia. Winter quarters still essentially unknown: probably in SE Asia (Vietnam) and perhaps also in South Korea.