Birds of Ecuador

 

On mainland Ecuador exist 12 species of gulls, most of them boreal and austral visitants, with only 3 species breeding on mainland Ecuador. Most are encountered along the Pacific coast but one specie, the Andean Gull is found on lakes and ponds in the higher paramo regions. Galapagos boasts of two gull species the endemic Lava Gull and the Swallow-tailed Gull, both breeding on the isles.

The Lava Gull is endemic to Galapagos and a mostly solitary gull found along the ocean beaches and inland lagoons. Not more than 500 pairs are estimated to exist of this rarest of all gulls. The Swallow-tailed Gull breeds on the islands with an estimated 15 000 pairs. It feeds at night mostly on squid and fish, which it detects by their phosphorescence.

Gulls are opportunistic feeders foraging basically on anything. This is the main reason that gulls are one of the few birds which actually benefited by mankind as they can adapt very rapidly to changes in the environment, not being dependent on any specific foods. Typically they feed on fish and marine invertebrates but they take also mammals, other birds and their eggs, reptiles, amphibians, insects, fruits or any waste food, thus they are often found in large numbers on landfills. They also scavenge on carrion and are kleptoparasitic, harassing other birds and stealing their food. The Swallow-tailed Gull is unusual among them as it feeds at night catching squid on the open ocean.

Both the Kelp Gull (left bird, note the red dot on the bill) and Gray-Hooded Gull (to the right) are breeding in small numbers along the southwestern Pacific coast of Ecuador.

Gulls are usually associated with coastal marine habitats but some species live far inland. In Ecuador it is the Andean Gull which is only found around small lakes in the Andes from 3000m to 4200m altitude. At breeding time the male's head is completely black (left bird). When non-breeding the head is white with only a small black patch behind ear. Photo to left taken at Colta Lake located in Chimborazo province and above at Limpiopungo.

Gulls are also known to hybridize among each other freely and commonly, which makes classifications of the species difficult. Sexes are alike with the males being a little bit larger than females. It takes gulls 4 - 5 years to acquire their adult look going through various plumage variations. Gulls nest mostly on the ground and both male and females build a large mound, cup or mat of vegetation. Females lay 1- 4 eggs which both males and females incubate for up to 5 weeks. The hatching is asynchronous and the chicks have a downy coat in the beginning and are semi-precocial. Both parents take care and feed the chicks. Most adult species have a red dot at the end of their bill, at which the newborn instinctively peck and stimulate so their parents to regurgitate the food for them.