XEME

Small gulls, such as Sabine’s gull (SAY-bin) (Xema sabini), are also called fork-tailed gulls, or xeme. In the genus Xema, it is the only species. It lays two or three spotted olive-brown eggs in a nest made of grass on the ground, as it breeds in colonies on beaches and in tundra. The pelagic Sabine’s gull is only present during the breeding season. It usually eats animal products, though it will also eat any small, suitable prey.

Appearance

The small gull known as the Xeme can be recognized by its unusual wing pattern. With black primary flight feathers and white secondary flight feathers, the adult’s back and wing coverts are a light grey color. There is a fork in the white tail. Throughout the mating season, the male’s hood darkens. The bill has a golden tip and is black in hue. Adolescent birds have the same tricolored wing patterns as adults, but their tails have a black terminal band, and the grey is replaced with brown. Juveniles need two years to fully acquire their adult plumage.

Xeme Photos

Distribution

Xeme are native to northernmost Eurasia and North America, where they reproduce in the Arctic. While birds from Greenland and eastern Canada cross the Atlantic via the westernmost edges of Europe to spend the winter off southwest Africa in the cold waters of the Benguela Current, the majority of the population migrates south in the fall and spends the winter at sea in the Pacific off western South America in the frigid waters of the Humboldt Current.

Sightings of lone xemes have been reported off the northeastern US coast and farther eastward in Europe, usually after fall storms. These gulls are common inland in North America, Europe, and even Siberia, and in addition to their marine migratory, cross-continental migration has been documented. Xeme breed in mossy, marshy areas with plenty of lakes, tidal marshes, and little brackish pools on tundra and beaches. These birds are highly pelagic, migrating across deep, chilly ocean waters outside of the mating season.

Diet and Nutrition

Xeme are carnivores (insectivores, piscivores) and consume a great range of insects, most likely spiders, aquatic insects and insect larvae, crustaceans, fish, young birds, and eggs.

Mating Habits

REPRODUCTION SEASON

starts in late May-early June

INCUBATION PERIOD

23-25 days

BABY NAME

chick

WEB.ANIMAL_CLUTCH_SIZE

2-3 eggs

Xeme show up on their breeding territory late May to early June. Though they may also nest as single couples, they live in colonies. Laying two or three spotted olive-brown eggs in a ground nest surrounded by grass, the female Parents incubate the eggs during 23 to 25 days. The chicks hatch completely grown; they have down and can leave the nest not long after hatching. When the young eat primarily themselves, the parents guide them to an area close to water.

Population

Population threats

Though they suffer from climate change, water pollution, human disruptions, hunting, and egg collecting, Xeme are not now thought to be threatened.

Population number

The IUCN Red List states that the xeme’s overall population count exceeds 340,000 adult individuals. There are 1,101–2,101 couples in the European population, or 2,101–4,101 adult people. On the IUCN Red List, this species is currently categorized as Least Concern (LC); its population is stable today.

Xeme bird

The little gull or fork-tailed gull, also known as Xeme. The only species found in the genus Xema is this one. It reproduces in flocks on tundra and coasts, where it lays two or three olive-brown eggs with spots on them on a grassy ground nest. At other times of year, Sabine’s gull flies over the ocean. It will feed on any appropriate small prey, having a wide range of mostly animal diet.

Habits and Lifestyle

Gregarious xeme are marine birds; thus, they spend much of their time at sea. By day, they feed in large swarms flying over the open ocean or trail fishing vessels and eat the remains of fish. During breeding, xeme generally go out individually or in pairs on the tundra, where they catch different types of fresh water and terrestrial food. There is verbal communication among them, and this is through a very loud noise resembling a shrill scream.

Where to Find Xeme

The Xeme is present in more than twenty-five countries throughout North America. And Europe, including Iceland, Greenland, Canada, Russia, and Germany, among others. Across the seas, they cross over, with their springs and summers being spent in the high arctic. While winters occur near shore waters, which are warmest,. This bird breeds in the arctic tundra and spends its summers in wet tundra near the coast, particularly in certain regions. With lots of ponds & tidal flats, these areas have loads of birds breeding here during the summer, which means lots of food for them. These birds migrate essentially to sea, not beyond a few kilometers off-shore.

What Does Xeme Eat?

They eat fish, crabs, animals, dead bodies left after catching fish or bugs, etcetera. In the summer months. These birds feed mostly on aquatic insects such as larvae, crustaceans, small fish, mollusks, marine worms, etcetera. Sometimes it even snatches fish from Arctic terns and eats the eggs or nestlings of other species. While walking near the water’s edge or bathing in freshwater ponds, they take insects from the surface or land. It also feeds by moving around with its feet in the mud bottom, foraging for prey that is already under cover. Because this bird hunts by spinning around with its feet to drive it up to the surface. We do not know what they eat during the winter although we know that scavenging becomes easier for them.”

FAQs

You seem to be referring to “Xeme,” another name for the species of seabird Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla). These are some often-asked questions (FAQs) on the Black-legged Kittiwake:

01: What is a black-legged kittiwake?

Seabirds of the gull family Laridae include the Black-legged Kittiwake. Its white body, black-tipped wings, and black legs—which stand out—are known It falls into the Rissa genus.

02: Where can black-legged kittiwakes be found?

The North Atlantic Ocean boasts black-legged kittiwakes. Along the beaches of Greenland, North America, and Northern Europe, they breed on steep cliffs. Sometimes making trips as far south as the Mediterranean or the eastern coast of North America, they winter at sea.

03: What do black-legged kittiwakes eat?

Their main food is marine invertebrates and little fish. Along with crustaceans and other tiny aquatic life, they frequently eat fish, including herring and capelin.

04: How do black-legged kittiwakes breed?

They live on steep, rocky rocks in colonies. Their nests are constructed from different materials, including seaweed and grass. Each breeding season, they lay one or two eggs; both parents alternately incubate the eggs and feed the young.