Identification:
- Short, stout, black beak.
- Secondary feathers are pale white, lighter than the upper wing coverts.
- The underside of the four outermost primary feathers is black.
- Faint black bands on the head.
- Breeding plumage: head and throat are dark green.
Biology and Ecology:
- Nests in eastern Kazakhstan, southern Siberia, Mongolia, and northern China.
- Winters in coastal areas of China and South Korea.
- In Southeast Asia, occasionally found along the northeastern coast of Vietnam (79).
- The Relict Gull nests in colonies up to 1,500m altitude, in arid areas, on coastal islands, and around fluctuating saline lakes.
- They do not inhabit dry lake beds or islands connected to the mainland, even if water levels are high and the island area is reduced or covered by vegetation.
- Some tidal mudflats in estuaries, although not nesting sites, are very important for this species.
Distribution:
- Vietnam: Northeastern Vietnam: Nam Dinh, Thai Binh.
- World: Russia, China, Mongolia, North Korea.
Value:
- A rare species with value for research on its migratory patterns worldwide.
Status:
- One of the threatened gull species globally.
- Historically observed in the northeastern coastal region of Vietnam, but rare.
- No recent information available.
- The global population is estimated to be fewer than 10,000 mature individuals.
- Changes in water levels affect breeding success, and mortality rates are influenced by storms and floods.
- With the establishment of several protected wetlands and coastal areas in northern Vietnam, alongside existing nature reserves and the Xuan Thuy Ramsar site (Nam Dinh) in the Red River Delta, and the discovery of other migratory birds in recent years, there is hope for more information on the Relict Gull in the coming years.
IUCN Red List Category:
- DD (Data Deficient)
Conservation Measures:
- Listed in the Asian Red Data Book of Birds (2001) as VU (Vulnerable).
- Included in Appendix I of CITES and CMS international conventions.
- Protected in the system of nature reserves and national parks of Vietnam, including the wetland protection system (inland and coastal), with three national parks in the northeastern coastal area, including Xuan Thuy, the only Ramsar site in Vietnam, which is one of the important bases for biodiversity conservation and migratory birds in the northern provinces of Vietnam.
- Protected in several nature reserves in Kazakhstan and Mongolia.