A slim, elegant Mediterranean gull that looks quietly classy rather than loud and “seagull-y.” Adults have a soft, pale grey back, clean white head and underparts, and long, narrow wings with a neat row of small white spots near the tips that birders call a “string of pearls.” Up close, the face is striking: a dark eye, a short, thick red bill with a neat black band and pale tip, and greenish-grey legs that give it a slightly delicate look compared with the chunky yellow-legged gulls it often stands beside. It’s a medium-sized gull, smaller and more graceful than a herring gull, and in flight it feels light and agile, gliding low over the sea with shallow, quick wingbeats.
This species is a Mediterranean and North African specialist. It breeds mainly on small islands, rocky islets, saltpan dikes, and low coastal headlands in the Mediterranean basin and nearby Atlantic coasts of Iberia and North Africa, especially Spain, Portugal, Italy, Morocco, and Algeria, with scattered colonies in places like Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus. Colonies are usually close to the sea and low to the water, where birds nest on open ground in loose groups or dense clusters, each pair scraping a shallow bowl in sand or gravel and lining it with bits of vegetation or shell.
Unlike many large gulls that happily raid rubbish tips or city streets, this species is mainly a fish specialist. It often feeds at night out at sea, following fishing boats or working natural fish-rich areas, picking small fish and squid from the surface or just below it; by day, it can be seen cruising along beaches and inshore waters, sometimes letting its legs dangle to slow down as it picks food from the waves.
Distribution
Albania
Algeria
Bosnia And Herz.
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czechia
Egypt
France
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Gibraltar
Greece
Israel
Italy
Jordan
Lebanon
Libya
Malta
Mauritania
Monaco
Montenegro
Morocco
North Macedonia
Portugal
Senegal
Slovenia
Spain
Switzerland
Syria
Tunisia
Turkey
United KingdomAnything we've missed?
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Colony
Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
