Brown-headed Gull

A few Brown-headed Gull Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus were present among the tern flocks on the sand spits at Laenpak Bia. This photo shows an adult Brown-headed Gull in non-breeding plumage in flight. On the ground in non-breeding plumage, Brown-headed Gull is similar to Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus. They both show a black dot behind the eye, reddish legs and a red based bill with a black tip. Brown-headed Gull is bulkier, has a paler eye and a different wing pattern which is more obvious in flight and can be seen clearly in the photo.

Brown-headed Gull is a small gull which breeds in the high plateaus of central Asia from Tajikistan to Ordos in Inner Mongolia. It is migratory, wintering on the coasts and large inland lakes of tropical southern Asia. As is the case with many gulls, it was traditionally placed in the genus Larus. This gull breeds in colonies in large reed beds 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.

It is a bold and opportunist feeder, which will scavenge in towns or take invertebrates in ploughed fields with equal relish.

Reference: Wikipedia