The Lava Gull is a rare species of gull that is endemic to the Galapagos Islands. Its scarcity makes it a popular sighting for birdwatchers visiting the Galapagos. The Lava Gull's rarity can be attributed to two factors.
Firstly, it is confined to the Galapagos Islands and can't be found anywhere else in the world. Secondly, the Lava Gull has a low population size and is considered a vulnerable species. Despite this, visitors to the Galapagos can easily spot the Lava Gull. Although it may not be the most aesthetically pleasing bird in the Galapagos, birdwatchers often express excitement upon sighting this rare species.
If you want to learn more about the Lava Gull, read on to discover how to recognize them, their unique behaviors, and where and when visitors can spot them in the Galapagos. Additionally, you'll find an abundance of other intriguing facts about the Lava Gull.
ENDEMIC SPECIES
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Scientific Name: Larus fuliginosus
How To See A Lava Gull At Galapagos?
If you are looking to spot Lava gulls, you might assume that they are hard to find due to their small population size. However, they are quite easy to find, as they tend to hang out on populated islands near human settlements. They are often seen around harbors or shipping boats, perched and keeping an eye out for an easy meal to scavenge.
The inhabited Galapagos islands such as San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, and Isabela are great places to spot Lava gulls. Visitors can also usually see them up north at Genovesa, which is known in the Galapagos as the bird island.
Lava gulls are a perennial species found on the Galapagos islands throughout the year. They can nest in any month of the year, but the most common nesting season is from May to October.
If you want to identify a Lava gull, look for the only gull that is completely dark in color. Their name comes from their dark plumage that blends in well against the black lava background.
They are a species of hooded gull. Adults (male and female) have sooty brown/black head colors, and dark grey feathers except for a distinctive white line on the leading edge of their wings, light grey bellies, and darker tail feathers. Even their feet are dark grey, completing their impressive camouflage against the black lava rocks at the Galapagos. Their final distinctive feature is white eyelids which stand out against the darker coloring of their head. Adolescent lava gulls are also easy to identify as darker brown until they mature after 3 years.
In terms of size, they are medium to large members of the gull family, growing up to 55cm tall with a wingspan of 130cm. Lava gulls have a life expectancy of 49 years.
When attracting their mates, lava gulls perform displays of head-bobbing while emitting sounds reminiscent of human laughter. Unlike most gull species, lava gulls prefer a solitary nesting arrangement, with each nest typically more than 100 meters apart. These couples are fiercely territorial, and their nests are simple affairs without any ornamental touches.
Each clutch of lava gulls consists of two olive-colored eggs. Despite this being an uncommon occurrence in the bird world, it provides excellent camouflage on sand and gravel. Both parents share incubation duties for 30 to 33 days. After two months, lava gull chicks fledge but still rely on their parents for food for an additional three weeks until they can fend for themselves.
Lava gulls have an omnivorous diet, scavenging for anything edible that they come across. They tend to favor a diet of fish, crustaceans, baby lava lizards, marine iguanas or sea turtles, sea lion placenta, or human waste.
Due to their nesting habits close to human settlements, lava gulls are defenseless against introduced species such as feral cats, dogs, and rats, as well as natural predators like the Short-eared owl and Galapagos Hawk. Although there is no active Galapagos conservation work currently being undertaken to protect the lava gull specifically, they benefit from general campaigns focused on controlling introduced species and limiting plastic pollution.
In conclusion, despite not being the most aesthetically pleasing bird, the Galapagos Lava Gull holds the distinction of being the rarest gull species in the world. This makes them a valuable addition to any birder's bucket list and an important species for visitors to look out for. Due to their lack of shyness, tourists are likely to come across them on most Galapagos itineraries and may be surprised by their audacity when they scavenge the catch from local fishermen.
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