Signal behavior and communication in the great black-headed gull, Larus ichthyaetus (Aves, Lari), as indicators of its position within Larinae subfamily

摘要

The motor and acoustic components of the great black-headed gull Larus ichthyaetus behavior were studied for seven field seasons (185 hours of observations) in the southeastern Caspian Sea (southwestern Turkmenistan). The communication system of thispoorly studied species is described thoroughly for the first time in the context of its peculiar social organization. The communication system of this species is compared with signal behavior of some gull species from the world fauna. The group of so-called "primitive hooded gulls", to which the great black-headed gull is traditionally assigned along with six other gull species of the World is an artificial assemblage of genealogically unrelated taxa. The obtained results confirm the viewpoint that thegreat black-headed gull may be considered as the independent genus Ichthyaetus (Wolters 1975).