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Mediterranean Gull (Larus melanocephalus) German name(s): "Mittelmeermöwe" Size: 37-40 cm; wing span 92-105 cm Body mass: 215-350 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.31-0.35

Europe: Family Group 10 Family Group 10 Table Great Skua Arctic Skua Pomarine Skua Caspian Gull Great Black-backed Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull American Herring Gull European Herring Gull Yellow-legged Gull Audouin's Gull Slender-billed Gull Iceland Gull Common Gull Ring-billed Gull Black-headed Gull Bonaparte's Gull Mediterranean Gull Little Gull Sabine's Gull Black-legged Kittiwake Caspian Tern Sandwich Tern Gull-billed Tern Common Tern Arctic Tern Little Tern Forster's Tern Whiskered Tern Black Tern White-winged Black Tern Atlantic Puffin Razorbill Common Guillemot Black Guillemot Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification   &A; Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Mediterranean Gulls are small black-headed gulls. They take 2 years to reach maturity, so there are 3 phases of plumage. The two sexes are identical, but they have different breeding and eclipse plumages. Adult Mediterranean Gulls in breeding plumage, apart from white eye-rings, have a near-black head, with the black extending down to the nape of the neck. The relatively short neck, the entire front and the rump are white. Only the mantle and wings are light-grey, with white outer primaries and black tips on the primary flight feathers. The white tail has a black terminal band on the upperside. The bill is very dark red, with a black subterminal band. In eclipse they loose their black cap, leaving just two black spots on either side of the head, above and behind the eyes, with some grey around the nape of the neck. The bill becomes more orange-pink, with a dark subterminal band. In all seasons the wings protrude beyond the end of the tail. The irises are dark. The legs and feet are orange-red. First-winter Black-headed Gulls resemble adults in eclipse plumage, but with dark spots on the wing feathers. Juveniles have brownish tints on the head and the wing feathers. Twitcher's tip In order to distinguish between ADULTS of the two species, apart from the shape of the bill, it is good to know that, in any kind of plumage, Mediterranean Gulls have white tips on the primary wing feathers, while Black-headed Gulls have black wingtips. This is particularly helpful in non-breeding plumage.

Taxonomy, classification See Mediterranean Gull at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Mediterranean Gull is available HERE . Mediterranean Gulls are found in south-western Asia, from the Caspian Sea westward into Asia Minor, along the northern fringe of the African continent and in large parts of Europe, as far to the North as Scotland and southern Scandinavia. In Europe Mediterranean Gulls are found as permanent residents around the Mediterranean coastline, around the Black Sea and along the western coastline of Atlantic Ocean and North Sea. They have increased their summer breeding range in recent decades to now include basically all of the British Isles (including Ireland), central Europe, the southern Baltic Sea and parts of eastern Europe. During the breeding season they are found in both coastal and inland wetlands. When not breeding, they have a preference for (near-)coastal habitats.

Sightings Click here for sighting information S. Cuturilov reports spotting Mediterranean Gulls in Paralia, Greece, in September 2017. G. Pinelas found a Mediterranean Gull in August 2017 at Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal. J. Pires found Mediterranean Gulls in various locations in southern Portugal in October 2019 and again in the timeframe July to October 2020 and also in February 2021. H. Dahlem-Senger reports finding a Mediterranean Gull on Spiekeroog, Ostfriesland, Germany, in June 2021.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

BREEDING

Frontal view of a Mediterranean Gull in almost complete breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Rio Trancao, Loures, Lisbon, Portugal, February 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a Mediterranean Gull in breeding plumage in flight; note the characteristic white wingtips
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Lagoa de Obidos, Leiria, Portugal, July 2020]

Lateral view of a Mediterranean Gull in near-breeding plumage; in full breeding plumage the head would be all-black
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Dafundo beach, Oeiras, Portugal, July 2019]

Lateral view of a Mediterranean Gull in near-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Lagoa de Obidos, Leiria, Portugal, July 2020]

Near-lateral view of a Mediterranean Gull moulting into breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Rio Trancao, Loures, Lisbon, Portugal, February 2021]

NON-BREEDING

Frontal view of a Mediterranean Gull in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Paralia, Greece, September 2017]

Frontal view of a preening Mediterranean Gull in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Marinha da Garganta, Faro, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]

Lateral view of a Mediterranean Gull in non-breeding plumage - the all-white ends of the primaries indicate that this is an adult bird (photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Paralia, Greece, September 2017]

Lateral view of a Mediterranean Gull in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Paralia, Greece, September 2017]

Lateral view of a Mediterranean Gull in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sado estuary, Portugal, January 2023]

Lateral view of a Mediterranean Gull in non-breeding plumage, left, with a first-winter Mediterranean Gull, front right
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Caxias beach, Caxias, Oeiras, Portugal, January 2019]

Lateral view of a Mediterranean Gull in non-breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Nova de Mil Fontes, Portugal, October 2020]

Lateral view of a Mediterranean Gull in badly worn non-breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Paralia, Greece, September 2017]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of a second-winter(?) immature Mediterranean Gull (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Marinha da Garganta, Faro, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]

Near-frontal view of a second-winter(?) immature Mediterranean Gull (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Marinha da Garganta, Faro, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]

Frontal view of a second-year Mediterranean Gull (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Rio Trancao, Loures, Lisbon, Portugal, February 2021]

Lateral view of a second-year Mediterranean Gull in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ria de Alvor, Alvor, Portimao, Portugal, October 2019]

Partly obscured near-dorsal view of a second calendar-year Mediterranean Gull in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ria de Alvor, Alvor, Portimao, Portugal, October 2019]

Near-frontal view of a first calendar-year Mediterranean Gull (photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, August 2017]

Near-lateral view of a first calendar-year Mediterranean Gull (photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, August 2017]

Near-lateral view of a first calendar-year Mediterranean Gull (photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, August 2017]

Lateral view of a first calendar-year Mediterranean Gull (photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, August 2017]

Lateral view of a first calendar-year Mediterranean Gull (photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, August 2017]

Dorsal view of a first calendar-year Mediterranean Gull (photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, August 2017]

Near-frontal view of a first calendar-year Mediterranean Gull, front, here in comparison with a first calendar-year Lesser Black-backed Gull (photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, August 2017]

Lateral view of a first calendar-year Mediterranean Gull, front, here in comparison with a first calendar-year Lesser Black-backed Gull (photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, August 2017]

Near-frontal/ventral view of a first-winter Mediterranean Gull in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ria de Alvor, Alvor, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

Near-frontal/ventral view of a first-winter Mediterranean Gull in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ria de Alvor, Alvor, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

Lateral view of a first-winter Mediterranean Gull taking off (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Almada, Setubal, Portugal, January 2023]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a first-winter Mediterranean Gull in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ria de Alvor, Alvor, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

Dorsal view of a first-winter Mediterranean Gull in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Dafundo beach, Oeiras, Lisbon, Portugal, October 2019]

Near-lateral view of a preening juvenile Mediterranean Gull, with a second calendar-year Mediteranean Gull behind
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Dafundo beach, Oeiras, Lisbon, Portugal, October 2019]

Lateral view of a preening juvenile Mediterranean Gull (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Dafundo beach, Oeiras, Lisbon, Portugal, October 2019]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Migratory

Elementary unit: Solitary/mob/flock

There are only a few sites where Mediterranean Gulls stay year round. The vast majority is migratory, overwintering in the Mediterranean and breeding along the major European river systems (except northern and eastern Europe).

Food, Diet

Like all gulls, Mediterranean Gulls are opportunistic. They will feed on anything from carrion and discarded entrails to fish, chicks of other bird species and eggs.

This first calendar-year Mediterranean Gull has found something edible (photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, August 2017]

This first calendar-year Mediterranean Gull has found something edible (photo courtesy of G. Pinelas)
[Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, August 2017]

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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