Yellow-legged Gull
Larus michahellis
Marat Adiev · Sokhumi, Abkhazia Georgia field photo
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 52–68 cm, wingspan 120–155 cm; 550–1600 g
- Diet
- Omnivore: fish, invertebrates, refuse
- Status in Georgia
- Resident breeder, migrant, winter visitor
- Recorded regions
- Adjara; Abkhazia; Imereti
- Habitat
- Sea coast, harbours, cities, rubbish dumps
- Family
- Laridae
- Conservation
- Global LC (2019); Georgia LC (2024)
The yellow-legged gull is such a flexible feeder that during the 2020 lockdown, when food scraps vanished from the streets of Rome, the city's gulls started hunting rats and pigeons. It is a large gull, 52–68 cm long, with a wingspan of 120–155 cm and a weight of 550–1600 g. Size varies a lot: the smallest females are barely larger than a mew gull, while the largest males match a great black-backed gull. Adults have a grey back, yellow legs, a red spot on the bill and a red ring around the eye. It is harmless to people. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a resident breeder, a migrant and a winter visitor. In Georgia it is seen in every month of the year, most often from June to September. Almost all records come from the Black Sea coast: from Adjara, near Batumi and Kobuleti, and from Abkhazia, near Sukhumi, Gagra, Pitsunda and Gudauta. Away from the sea records are few, mostly from Kutaisi. Both globally and in Georgia it is rated Least Concern (LC).
Identification
Yellow-legged Gull: how to identify it
A large gull with a grey back and bright yellow legs. Its back is slightly darker than a herring gull's and much paler than a lesser black-backed gull's. It has a red ring around the eye, and the black on its wingtips is extensive, with few white spots.
Adults have a grey back and wings, a white head and underparts, and yellow legs. In autumn the head stays much whiter than a herring gull's. There is a red spot on the bill and a red ring around the eye, as in the lesser black-backed gull.
It is 52–68 cm long with a wingspan of 120–155 cm. The black on the wingtips is extensive and the white spots in it are few. The call is a loud laugh, deeper and more nasal than a herring gull's.
First-year birds have a paler head, rump and underparts than young herring gulls, a dark bill and eyes, pinkish grey legs and a sharp black band on the tail. By their second winter they look like adults, except for a black bill tip and dark eyes.
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
Its breeding range is centred on the Mediterranean. It breeds on sea cliffs, islands, beaches and the shores of lakes and rivers, and in some places on buildings in cities. On the Black Sea, where it overlaps with the Caspian gull, it prefers sea cliffs, while the Caspian gull prefers flatter shores. Outside the breeding season it is seen more often on the coast, in harbours and at rubbish dumps, and it also forages in fields and along rivers. In Georgia most records come from Adjara: from Batumi, Kobuleti, Khelvachauri Municipality and the Chorokhi Delta, mainly in June and September. Almost as many come from Abkhazia: from Sukhumi, Gagra, Pitsunda, Gudauta, Gantiadi and Lake Inkit, mainly from July to September. Away from the sea it has been seen in Imereti, near Kutaisi and in Baghdati Municipality. There are single records from Khobi, the Zugdidi and Ozurgeti municipalities and Tbilisi.
The yellow-legged 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. Three regions have enough records: Adjara, Abkhazia and Imereti.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
It is an omnivore and an opportunist: it scavenges at rubbish dumps, hunts in fields and on the coast, and robs smaller gulls and other seabirds of their catch. It eats fish, invertebrates including insects, molluscs and crabs, reptiles, small mammals, offal and the eggs and chicks of other birds. In Gibraltar it has been seen picking olives straight from the trees in flight.
Some populations stay in one area all year, while others move to milder places in winter, south as far as Senegal and the Red Sea. In late summer many disperse northwards. After breeding it moves from July to November and returns from mid-February to mid-June. Outside the breeding season it stays in groups, around harbours and rubbish dumps. It usually breeds in colonies of up to 8,000 pairs. The nest is a heap of plants on the ground or on a cliff ledge. The female usually lays three eggs, from mid-March to early May. The eggs hatch after 27–31 days and the chicks fly at 35–40 days. The parents defend the nest fiercely.
Globally the yellow-legged gull is rated Least Concern (LC, 2019). The global number is unknown, because related species were split only recently. In Europe 409,000–534,000 pairs breed, or 819,000–1,070,000 mature birds, and the number is increasing. In recent decades it has spread into central and western Europe. Local people often collect its eggs, and in some places it is culled to reduce conflict with people or to protect other birds, although this has little effect on the population as a whole. The 2024 Georgian checklist also rates it Least Concern (LC) in Georgia.
Marat Adiev · Olga Eremenko · neonick · birdyday · Aleksandr Opalev · Floyd E. Hayes · David J Barton · Nikita Tiunov
Related guides
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Yes. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a resident breeder, a migrant and a winter visitor. It is seen in every month of the year, most often from June to September.
On the Black Sea coast: in Batumi, Kobuleti and the Chorokhi Delta, and near Sukhumi, Gagra, Pitsunda and Gudauta. Away from the sea it has also been seen near Kutaisi.
By its bright yellow legs, the red ring around the eye and the extensive black on the wingtips. Its back is darker than in herring and Caspian gulls and much paler than in the lesser black-backed gull. The Armenian gull has a dark eye and a black band on the bill.
It is 52–68 cm long, with a wingspan of 120–155 cm and a weight of 550–1600 g. Males are noticeably larger than females.
Almost anything: fish, invertebrates, reptiles, small mammals, refuse and the eggs and chicks of other birds. It also steals food from other seabirds.
In colonies on sea cliffs, islands and shores, and in some places on buildings. The female usually lays three eggs, from mid-March to early May. The eggs hatch after 27–31 days and the chicks fly at 35–40 days.
It is not dangerous to people, although it defends its nest fiercely. Both globally and in Georgia it is rated Least Concern (LC), and 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.
