What specialized foraging technique involves the *Xema sabini* spinning in circles on the water surface to capture prey?
Answer
Phalarope Spin
The Sabine's Gull utilizes several distinct foraging techniques dependent on its environment. In shallow waters, one such specialized method is termed the Phalarope Spin. This behavior involves the bird actively spinning in circles while on the water's surface. The purpose of this action is to generate a vortex or swirling motion in the water which effectively draws small, subsurface prey items upward, making them accessible for immediate capture by the gull.
Related Questions
What primarily constitutes the summer diet of the Sabine's Gull on the Arctic tundra breeding grounds?Which food items are staples in the pelagic diet of the Xeme during its winter life in cold-water upwelling zones?What specialized foraging technique involves the *Xema sabini* spinning in circles on the water surface to capture prey?Which bird species is explicitly mentioned as a common target for kleptoparasitism by the Sabine's Gull?How long might the intensely pelagic Sabine's Gull spend staging offshore during Atlantic migrations, specifically mentioning the Bay of Biscay?When congregating near human activity, what specific food waste product derived from cleaning fish does the opportunistic Xeme consume?Where are the breeding nests of the Sabine's Gull typically situated across the circumpolar Arctic tundra?Despite being a member of the Laridae family, what genus is the Xeme often placed alone in, reflecting its specialized nature?Besides terrestrial insects, what aggressive prey items do nesting Sabine’s Gulls target locally in the Arctic ecosystem?To what type of feeder is the ecological niche of the Sabine's Gull in the Arctic compared, due to its gleaning of tiny, surface-level prey?