Hayes F. E., G. L. White, M. Kenefick, and H. Kilpatrick. 2002. Status of the Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus [fuscus] graellsii in Trinidad and Tobago. Atlantic Seabirds 4:91-100.
Abstract.--The Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus graellsii is an Old World species whose numbers have increased dramatically in the New World, but its status in South America is poorly documented. We summarise data for 35 records of an estimated 49 individuals (71.4% immature, 28.6% adult) in western Trinidad (45 ind) and southwestern Tobago (4) from August 1978 through April 2002. All associated with flocks of Laughing Gull L. atricilla along the coast. Most records were in winter (esp. Jan-Feb), but four stayed in Trinidad throughout the summer of 2000. A few individuals that first appeared in March-April may have been northbound migrants wintering farther south. Up to 13 individuals occurred during autumn-spring in Trinidad and up to two in Tobago. Maximum daily counts included eight for Trinidad and two for Tobago. The gulls may have arrived by migrating southward across the Caribbean or westward across the central Atlantic. |
