Diet and Foraging Range of Slender-Billed Gulls Chroicocephalus genei Breeding in the Saloum Delta, Senegal

A significant shift in the diet of Slender-billed Gulls (Chroicocephalus genei), a vulnerable species with a restricted breeding range, was observed in the Saloum Delta National Park, Senegal. The study found that while cichlids remained a dominant component, the proportion of mugilid fish in their diet increased markedly between 2000 and 2015. GPS tracking of three individuals in 2014 revealed extensive foraging ranges, with gulls covering up to 96 km daily and utilizing diverse habitats such as mangrove-bordered lagoons, salt pans, creeks, rivers, abandoned rice fields, and the Atlantic coast near a fishing village in The Gambia. Individual foraging behaviors varied significantly, highlighting the need for targeted conservation strategies that account for species-specific ecological requirements.

Veen, J., Dallmeijer, H., Schlaich, A. E., Veen, T., & Mullié, W. C. (2019). Diet and Foraging Range of Slender-Billed Gulls Chroicocephalus genei Breeding in the Saloum Delta, Senegal. Ardea, 107(1), 33. https://doi.org/10.5253/arde.v107i1.a8