Organized annually in collaboration with the LPO Paca, the banding of black-headed gull chicks allows for the monitoring of this rare and endangered species in France.
Over 400 chicks ringed
At the end of June, 403 yellow-legged gull chicks (Larus genei) were ringed at the Salins d’Hyères salt marshes. Owned by the Conservatoire du Littoral and managed by Métropole Toulon Provence Méditerranée, this site is home to one of the few breeding colonies of yellow-legged gulls in France. The operation was carried out in partnership with the Bird Protection League, which is responsible for ornithological monitoring at the site.
Dependent on brackish wetlands, the yellow-legged gull is considered “endangered” in France, where around 800 pairs are distributed mainly in the Camargue, Aude, Hérault, and Var regions. The species is mainly threatened by the disappearance of its nesting habitats and competition with other species of gulls. However, thanks to the creation of nesting islands in the Mediterranean, its numbers have been increasing in Europe for several years.
The Tour du Valat has been regularly monitoring this species since 1997. Ringing the chicks will enable them to be tracked once they have fledged, as they move around the Mediterranean basin.
The mocking seagull
Smaller and more slender than “gabians,” mocking gulls can be recognized by their carmine red legs, gray backs and wings with black tips, and the immaculate white of the rest of their bodies (unlike black-headed gulls, whose heads are adorned with a dark brown cap in summer and dark spots in winter).
A migratory bird that nests annually, the black-headed gull can be seen from March onwards on the salt marshes of Hyères, where the ringing operation took place, thanks to nature outings.
