Black-headed Gulls Arrive in Kathmandu A Sign of Winter Migratio

A flock of Black-headed Gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) gathers along the Bagmati River in Kathmandu, Nepal, marking the annual spectacle of winter migration. These elegant birds travel thousands of kilometers from the frozen wetlands of southern Russia, Mongolia, and the Tibetan Plateau, flying across Himalayan passes to reach the warmer plains of South Asia. Their arrival highlights Nepal’s vital role as a migration corridor and refuge for waterbirds threatened by climate change and wetland loss. (Photographed on November 4, 2025.)