Larus ridibundus 'Hettemåke' Blackheaded Gull

Hettemåke

Hettemåke eller lattermåse (Larus ridibundus) er en av de vanligste måkene, men i Norge er arten i tilbakegang og blir nå oppført som nær truet på Nasjonal rødliste. Hettemåke ble valgt til Årets Fugl i 2011 av Norsk Ornitologisk Forening.

Kjennetegn

De voksne fuglene har grå overside, mens resten av kroppen er hvit. Føttene er røde og med svømmehud mellom tærne. Nebbet er også rødt og sammen med den hvite stripa i fremkant av vingene, er karakteristisk for hettemåken. De har store spisse vinger og flyter lett. Både hann- og hunnfugler er like. Ungfugl har en mer brunspettet fjærdrakt. Hettemåken er 36 cm lang og har vekt på om lag 300 gram. I sommerdrakten har hettemåken sin karakteristiske svarte hette. Den har et vingespenn på ca. 95–105 cm.

Hekking

Hettemåken hekker i kolonier ved sjøen og ferskvann. De aller fleste hettemåkene trekker sørover om vinteren, mange til Vest-Europa, enkelte helt til Nord-Afrika.

Utbredelse

Hettemåken har en minskende bestand. Den eksisterer i kyststrøk og i innlandet nær vann helt nord til Varangerfjorden. Hovedbestanden er likevel i Sør-Norge rundt Oslofjorden.

Fra Wikipedia, den frie encyklopedi

Larus ridibundus 'Hettemåke' Blackheaded Gull, Tiberius, Sea of Galilee, Israel 22.12.2010

Black-headed Gull

The Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) is a small gull which breeds in much of Europe and Asia, and also in coastal eastern Canada. Most of the population is migratory, wintering further south, but some birds in the milder westernmost areas of Europe are resident. Some birds will also spend the winter in northeastern North America, where it was formerly known as the Common Black-headed Gull. As is the case with many gulls, it had previously been placed in the genus Larus.

This gull is 38–44 cm (15-17½ in) long with a 94–105 cm (37–41 in) wingspan. In flight, the white leading edge to the wing is a good field mark. The summer adult has a chocolate-brown head (not black, despite the name), pale grey body, black tips to the primary wing feathers, and red bill and legs. The hood is lost in winter, leaving just dark vertical streaks. This is a noisy species, especially in colonies, with a familiar "kree-ar" call. Its scientific name means "laughing gull".

It breeds in colonies in large reedbeds or marshes, or on islands in lakes, nesting on the ground. Like most gulls, it is highly gregarious in winter, both when feeding or in evening roosts. It is not a pelagic species and is rarely seen at sea far from coasts.

The Black-headed Gull is a bold and opportunist feeder and will eat insects, fish, seeds, worms, scraps and carrion in towns, or take invertebrates in ploughed fields with equal relish.

This species takes two years to reach maturity. First-year birds have a black terminal tail band, more dark areas in the wings, and, in summer, a less fully developed dark hood. Like most gulls, Black-headed Gulls are long-lived birds, with a maximum age of 63 years recorded in the wild.

Uses

The eggs of the black headed gull are considered a delicacy by some in the UK and are eaten hard boiled.

Australian discovery

In the 1990s, local Broome birder Brian Kane saw a strange species of bird while trawling the local sewer ponds. Upon seeing this bird, he called one of his many bird-watcher friends to verify the species, who confirmed that it was indeed a Black-headed Gull that Brian had stumbled across. This was the first recorded sighting of the species in Australia.

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