A sleek, elegant gull best known for its jet-black breeding hood, bright coral-red bill, and crisp white wings that lack the dark wingtips many gulls show. It’s a bird that looks like it dressed in minimalist designer fashion — clean, bold contrasts with just the right splash of color. Native to southern Europe and the Black Sea region, the species has expanded its range impressively in recent decades, now breeding from Spain to Ukraine and wintering along warm coasts from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea, North Africa, and parts of the Middle East. Outside breeding season, it wanders widely, with increasing sightings in Western and Northern Europe, especially around Britain and the Netherlands.
One of the Mediterranean Gull’s most striking features is its pure white flight feathers, which create a smooth, unbroken wing surface. Combined with a rounded head and a slightly heavier red bill, the look is surprisingly refined compared to many gulls. In winter, the hood fades to a smudgy mask pattern, but the bird remains distinctive thanks to its pale grey mantle and almost porcelain-white body. Its call — a nasal, somewhat cat-like kreee-arr — can stand out among mixed gull flocks, especially when colonies get noisy during breeding season.
Feeding habits are flexible, with a diet that includes insects, marine invertebrates, small fish, worms, seeds, and occasionally human food scraps. In agricultural landscapes, they often hunt insects by following tractors — a behavior that has helped them thrive as farmland changes across Europe. During migration and winter, they gather in flocks on mudflats, beaches, and lagoons, often roosting in groups that combine adults and birds in various juvenile plumages, which can be a challenge even for experienced birders to sort through.
Distribution
Albania
Algeria
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia And Herz.
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czechia
Denmark
Egypt
Finland
France
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Gibraltar
Greece
Hungary
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Libya
Malta
Mauritania
Monaco
Montenegro
Morocco
Netherlands
North Macedonia
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sudan
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Tunisia
Turkmenistan
Turkey
UAE
Ukraine
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
