Caspian Gull
Larus cachinnans
Vladimir Belinsky · Sokhumi, Abkhazia Georgia field photo
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 56–68 cm, wingspan 137–155 cm; 680–1590 g
- Diet
- Fish, rodents, invertebrates, refuse
- Status in Georgia
- Resident breeder, migrant, winter visitor
- Recorded regions
- Abkhazia; Tbilisi; Kvemo Kartli; Mtskheta-Mtianeti
- Habitat
- Sea coast, harbours, lakes, rivers
- Family
- Laridae
- Conservation
- Global LC (2018); Georgia LC (2024)
During the breeding season the Caspian gull often flies far from water into the steppe to hunt ground squirrels and other rodents. It is a large gull, 56–68 cm long, with a wingspan of 137–155 cm and a weight of 680–1590 g. Compared with herring and yellow-legged gulls, it has longer legs, wings and neck, a sloping forehead and a long, slender bill. The eye is small and often dark, and the legs range from pale pink to yellowish. It is harmless to people. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a resident breeder, a migrant and a winter visitor. In Georgia it has been seen in every month of the year, most often from July to October. The records are few and fall into two groups: from the Black Sea coast of Abkhazia and from Tbilisi and its surroundings. Both globally and in Georgia it is rated Least Concern (LC).
Identification
Caspian Gull: how to identify it
A large, pale grey-backed gull with a small head, a sloping forehead and a long, slender bill. Its legs, wings and neck are longer than those of the yellow-legged gull, and its back is slightly paler.
Adults have a grey back and wings: slightly darker than the herring gull, slightly paler than the yellow-legged gull. The head and underparts are white. The outermost primary has a large white tip and a white tongue along its inner web.
The eye is small and often dark, and the legs range from pale pink to pale yellowish. The sloping forehead makes the long, slender bill look even longer. It is 56–68 cm long with a wingspan of 137–155 cm.
In their first winter young birds have a pale head with dark streaks on the hindneck, pale underparts and a greyish back. The wing coverts have whitish tips that form two pale lines across the wing.
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
Often confused with
When breeding it lives on the shores of reed-fringed lakes in steppe and semi-desert, by reservoirs, on rivers and on grassy or shrubby river islands, as well as on sea cliffs, rocky and sandy islands, beaches and salt pans. Outside the breeding season it is seen more often on the coast, in harbours and at rubbish dumps, and it also forages on farmland. In Georgia most records come from Abkhazia: from Pitsunda, Sukhumi, Lake Inkit and Ochamchire, mainly in July. In Tbilisi it has been seen in Old Tbilisi and near Rike Park, mainly in October. In Kvemo Kartli it is seen at Kumisi Lake and near Ponichala, and many records come from the northern outskirts of Tbilisi, around Gldani and Nadzaladevi. In Mtskheta-Mtianeti it has been seen mainly in Mtskheta Municipality. There are single records from Poti, Lanchkhuti, Batumi and Dedoplistskaro Municipality.
The Caspian gull map combines public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records. Record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density. Four regions have enough records: Abkhazia, Tbilisi, Kvemo Kartli and Mtskheta-Mtianeti.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
Its diet is very varied: it both scavenges and hunts. It takes fish, invertebrates, insects and molluscs, reptiles and small mammals such as voles and ground squirrels. It eats refuse, offal and the eggs and chicks of other birds. In the breeding season it often flies far into the steppe to hunt rodents.
It is a migrant, although some colonies around the Black and Caspian Seas may stay put. After breeding it moves away from July to November and returns from mid-February to mid-June. Some birds go south as far as the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, while others spread into western Europe. Outside the breeding season it stays in groups, in harbours and at rubbish dumps. It breeds from early April in colonies of up to 8,000 pairs. It nests on flat, low ground by water, unlike the yellow-legged gull, which nests mainly on cliffs where the two overlap. The nest is built from nearby plants, feathers, debris and old carcasses, often next to or under bushes. The female lays 2–3 eggs, which hatch after 27–31 days.
Globally the Caspian gull is rated Least Concern (LC, 2018). The global number is unknown, because related species were split only recently. In Europe 54,100–87,500 pairs breed, or 108,000–175,000 mature birds, and the number is increasing. In Europe its range is spreading north and west. In the east of its range its colonies are often raided for eggs, in Ukraine it is hunted, and small oil spills kill birds, although this has little effect on its numbers. The 2024 Georgian checklist also rates it Least Concern (LC) in Georgia.
Vladimir Belinsky · Daria Semenova · Andrew Cauldwell · Ksenia Katraeva · Nikita Tiunov · Nastya Klimova · Ksenia Zhakova
Related guides
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Yes. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a resident breeder, a migrant and a winter visitor. It has been seen in every month of the year, most often from July to October.
On the Black Sea coast, near Pitsunda and Sukhumi, and in and around Tbilisi: on the banks of the Mtkvari, at Kumisi Lake and in Mtskheta Municipality. Records are still few.
The Caspian gull has a smaller head, a sloping forehead, a long slender bill and long legs, and its back is a slightly paler grey. The eye is often dark and the legs range from pale pink to yellowish. The yellow-legged gull has bright yellow legs and a red ring around the eye.
It is 56–68 cm long, with a wingspan of 137–155 cm and a weight of 680–1590 g. It matches herring and yellow-legged gulls in size, but looks lighter and more elegant.
Almost anything: fish, invertebrates, reptiles, rodents, refuse, offal and the eggs and chicks of other birds. In the breeding season it hunts ground squirrels in the steppe.
From early April, in colonies, on flat low ground by water: on the shores and islands of lakes, rivers and the sea. The female lays 2–3 eggs, which hatch after 27–31 days.
It is harmless to people. Both globally and in Georgia it is rated Least Concern (LC), and in Europe its number is increasing. If you find an injured bird, call 112 or the environmental protection service.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
