Yellow-legged Gull

The Yellow-legged Gull is the size of a Herring Gull and can easily be confused. It has only recently been recognised as a separate species, having previously been thought of as an odd-looking Herring Gull. It often stands apart from other gulls to make our lives easier. It is a rare visitor, mainly seen on the south coast. Numbers are slowly increasing with global warming as they move north from their more normal Mediterranean areas.

They look like a Herring Gull though have yellow legs instead of pink and more black on the wing tips with smaller white 'mirrors'. With their yellow legs, they can look like a Lesser Black-backed Gull though their back is a paler grey. A really tricky one to single out. Their call is a laughing "Kyow, kyow!"

Like all good Gulls, it feeds on a wide variety of food including carrion and loves a good rubbish tip. They also have the habit of stealing food fished by other birds, chasing them, and bothering them until they drop what they have caught.

Yellow-legged Gulls very rarely breed in Britain. The nest is a mound of vegetation on a cliff ledge or building roof. The 2-4 eggs are incubated by both parents and hatch after 30 days. The nest is fiercely defended and they will attack anything that gets too close by diving from above. The youngsters soon leave the nest but remain close by. Mum and dad feed them with regurgitated food until they can fly 35-40 days later and become fully independent. They will take 4 years to become mature adults, in the meantime being bolshy teenagers.

About 800 are seen here each year. They are mainly found in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Many birds remain in the same area all year round, though the ones seen in Britain generally move to the warmer south in winter.

Their Latin name is 'larus michahellis' where 'larus' is Latin for 'gull' or large seabird and the 'michahellis' is in honour of the German zoologist Karl Michahelles. Good to have a bird named after you. Not so good that it eats on rubbish tips.

Little Gull

The Little Gull can be seen in our coastal areas singly or in small flocks. It is the smallest Gull in the world. Its migration and movement are still a puzzle to ornithologists, as it can turn up anywhere at any time, though it mainly winters in the Mediterranean.

True to its name, it is a petite, Tern-like Gull. In summer it has a black head, a grey back, grey wings with an obvious pale rear edge and no black on its wing tips. The underwings are strikingly dark, its legs are dark red and the bill is black. In winter, its head is white with a dark crown and a spot behind the eye, similar to the Black-headed Gull. The youngsters have a strong 'W' pattern on their wings. The Little Gull is usually silent and it flies with quick wing beats in a zigzag, Tern-like flight.

The Little Gull feeds on insects like dragonflies, mayflies, water beetles and midges in the summer and switches to fish in the winter. Like the Black Tern, it dips to take food from the surface of the water and catches insects in the air.

Little Gulls breed in northern Europe on freshwater marshes, usually in colonies. The nest is a scrape on the ground lined with vegetation. The 2-3 eggs are laid in late May or early June. Both mum and dad incubate the eggs as soon as they are laid which means they hatch at different times after 23 days. The youngsters quickly leave the nest and hide nearby where they are fed by both parents. They can fly 21 days later. The youngsters will take three years to reach full maturity and breed themselves.

The Little Gull does not normally breed in Britain. The first ever recorded was a single pair in 2016. Only 700 visit our coasts each year, so it is really lucky if you see one.

Their Latin name is 'hydrocoloeus minutus' where 'hydrocoloeus' is from the ancient Greek 'hydro' for 'water' and 'koloios' a sort of web-footed bird. The 'minutus' is Latin for 'small' (as in minute). It is the only member of the genus 'hydrocoloeus', although ornithologists think it should get the Ross's Gull as a friend.

Mediterranean Gull

Mediterranean Gulls can be hard to tell apart from Black-headed Gulls until you see one, and then they stand out a mile with their blood-red bills. If you aren't sure, it's a Black-headed Gull. Unsurprisingly, they are mainly found in the Mediterranean, mostly around the Black Sea and in central Turkey, and they are a relatively new arrival in Britain. Numbers are increasing steadily and they started to breed here in 1968.

The Mediterranean Gull is more bulky and thick-necked than the Black-headed Gull. In summer, they have a dark black head with a white ring about their eye, a pale back, a striking, thick blood-red bill, and bright red legs. In winter, they have a white head with a dark smudge behind the eye similar to the Black-headed Gull. Youngsters have scaly brown backs. When flying, their wings are pure white with no black wing tips. On the ground, they stand upright like a soldier on parade. Their call is a mewing cat-like "wee-ah" similar to an Eider duck.

They feed on insects in the summer and fish and marine animals in the winter, though like most gulls they will eat just about anything including worms, eggs, offal and carrion.

Mediterranean Gulls nest in colonies on marshes or fields near water, frequently amongst Black-headed Gulls. Trying to spot them is like 'Where's Wally?' but they often occupy the higher ground. Breeding starts in May, and the nest is a shallow scrape in the ground, lined with grass and feathers. Both mum and dad incubate the 3 eggs which hatch after 35 days. The youngsters soon leave the nest and hide in nearby vegetation. Mum and dad feed them until they can fly 35 days later and become fully independent. Most Mediterranean Gulls will head to the warmer southern Europe in July.

About 1,200 pairs breed here and are specially protected because of the low numbers. Most of their breeding sites are in the south and south-east of England.

Their Latin name is 'ichthyaetus melanocephalus' where 'ichthyaetus' is derived from the Ancient Greek 'ikhthus' for 'fish' and 'aetos' for 'eagle'. The 'melanocephalus' is from 'melas' for 'black' and 'kephalos' for 'headed'. Black-headed fish eagle is a little over the top. Maybe the blood-red bill scared the scientists.

Fulmar

The Fulmar is a small 'tubenose' gull related to the much bigger Albatross. It is often seen riding the up draughts at its cliff face breeding site. They defend their nests from predators by spitting out a foul-smelling oil that not only stinks but can also kill. The oil is made in their stomachs and is a high-energy food source for chicks and for adults on long flights. The Fulmars seen in Britain are called the 'Northern Fulmar' to distinguish them from the bigger 'Southern Fulmar' found in Antarctica.

Fulmars look gull-like with thick necks and tubed nostrils that stand out. The specially adapted noses help them remove salt from their bodies, allowing them to happily drink seawater. They are white with a grey back, rump and tail. There is a dark smudge around the eye. They fly low over the sea on stiff wings, followed by a rapid series of shallow wing beats, gliding and banking to alternately show their white underparts and grey upperparts. Fulmars are mainly silent apart from a cackling call when nesting. Like a Swift, a Fulmar cannot stand or walk. They are built for flying or bobbing about on the sea with their tails held up.

Flocks of Fulmars will feed out at sea, often near fishing boats, feasting on the fish waste that is thrown overboard. They also plunge dive to eat shrimp, fish, squid, plankton and jellyfish.

Fulmars breed all around Britain and a Fulmar pair, who stay together for life, will use the same nest site year after year. The single egg is laid in May on a cliff ledge or rooftop with little other nest material. Both parents carefully look after it until it hatches 50 days later. The chick is fed by mum and dad and can fly after 45 days, becoming fully independent soon after though mum keeps an eye on it for the first two weeks. The youngster will then spend several years at sea, miles from land, and won't breed until it is 6 years old.

There are about 500,000 Fulmar pairs in Britain and numbers are slowly increasing, helped by the fishing industry and the offal thrown from boats. On the flip side, this makes them vulnerable to any changes in fishing practices. A Fulmar can live to be over 30 years old and have lots of stories about how the people of St Kilda tried to eat him.

Their Latin name is 'fulmarus glacialis' where 'fulmarus' comes from the Old Norse 'fulmar' meaning 'foul-mew' or 'foul-gull' because of the bird's habit of spitting out its foul-smelling oil. The English name has the same source. The 'glacialis' part comes from the Latin for 'icy'.

Manx Shearwater

The Manx Shearwater, apart from having a cool name, is a bird of the open ocean, only coming ashore to nest and, even then, only after dark. They are clumsy and vulnerable on land, so darkness saves them from predators. Vikings in long boats heard the weird calls of this little bird and thought they were evil spirits. They travel thousands of miles every year to nest in their hobbit-like burrows and raise one super fluffy chick between March and July.

The Manx Shearwater is black above and white below, has a small head with a black cap extending below the eye, a long slim dark hooked bill, and a white underwing with a dark border. They fly with rapid beats of their stiff wings and long glides close to the waves, often flying in a straight line and flashing black and white as they turn. They make 'wheezy chicken' howls and screams from their burrows at night as they tell ghost stories.

They feed alone or in small flocks on fish and other marine creatures, which they take from the surface or by shallow dives. More of a duck-like snorkelling bird than the scuba diving Guillemot or the torpedo Gannet. Their favourite food includes herrings, sardines, sprats and squid. They have an extremely sensitive sense of smell and can detect fish many miles away.

The Manx Shearwater nests in old rabbit or Puffin burrows on isolated islands, in large colonies - often numbering in the thousands. The single white egg is incubated by mum and dad taking it in turns to sit for 6 days before swapping over. They need the time to travel to offshore feeding grounds which can be as far as 900 miles away. The egg hatches after a long 51 days and the young chick is fed on pre-digested food. After 60 days, mum and dad eventually tire of feeding the huge youngster and putting up with its messy bedroom, abandoning it to sort its life out and lose a bit of weight so it can fit through the door. The youngster gets the hint and leaves the burrow 8 or 9 days later after a crash diet. It then starts a long journey to winter in South America! The youngster will not breed until it is 5 years old, though a Manx Shearwater can live to an amazing 50 years old.

They are the most common shearwater seen in Britain, mainly on our western coasts. About 300,000 pairs breed here, 80% of the world's population. Their numbers are thought to be stable but the Manx Shearwater is difficult to survey accurately - being at sea during the day and in their burrows at night. Many of the offshore islands they use are now protected. In 2008, a Manx Shearwater that nested on Bardsey Island in Wales was more than 50 years old and estimated to have flown about 5 million miles in its lifetime.

Their Latin name is 'puffinus puffinus' where 'puffinus' derives from 'puffin' which referred to the cured carcass of a Shearwater, a former delicacy. The term however switched and came to be used for the Atlantic Puffin. The English name is from the 'shearing' way they fly and a nest site on the Isle of Man, hence 'Manx Shearwater'. Local names include 'Devil Bird' from the eerie howls and shrieks they make at night. Shearwaters are 'tubenoses', a bird group that includes Fulmars and Storm Petrels.

Gannet

Another bird of the open sea, with over half of the world's Gannets nesting around Britain and Ireland. Gannets used to be eaten for food. For 350 years they were taken from Bass Rock until 1885 when the annual cull of about 1,500 individuals finally ceased. Shetland Gannets were sold as 'Highland Goose' to London restaurants during World War II. Thankfully, we now leave them alone.

Gannets are white with black wing tips and yellow on their head and neck. They have a long neck, long pointed bill, long pointed tail, and long narrow wings that are almost 2 metres across. Young Gannets start black and take 5 years to become fully white. Gannets fly with powerful wingbeats and an effortless glide. Usually silent, they make a "brrrr" noise when nesting.

They feed on fish by plunge diving from a height of 9m or more and hit the water at 100km per hour to catch fish at a depth of 25m or more, folding their wings in before they hit the water like a torpedo. To do this, they have a few adaptations. Their nostrils are located on the inside of their mouth and they have air sacs in their face and chest which act like bubble wrap, cushioning the impact with the water. Their eyes are slightly forward to give them binocular vision so they can judge distances accurately and their feathers are waterproof so they can spend long periods in water. Favourite fish include herring, mackerel, sprats, and sand eels. The Gannet's supposed capacity for eating large quantities of fish has led to 'gannet' becoming a description of somebody with a big appetite.

Gannets nest in large, noisy, densely packed colonies on steep cliffs or small islands. Males establish their tiny cliff ledge territory by aggressive displays towards other males. The ladies cruise by and land with their necks stretched out when they find a male they like. Beak fencing between the two seals the deal. The nest is a simple pile of seaweed, or other material found floating on the sea, stuck together with earth and droppings. Dad does most of the construction work and, over the years, the nest can get up to 2m in height! The single chalky-blue egg is incubated by both parents and hatches after 44 days. They feed the youngster until it can fly 90 days later. The youngster leaves the nest by launching itself off the cliff and flying, something it has not been able to practice, and it can get injured against the rocks if leaving in bad weather. The young Gannet learns to fish and fly as it swims off towards West Africa, its flying (well 'landing') skills being too poor to return to the nest. They will stay in Africa for 2-3 years before returning to join the edge of the breeding colony but don't nest themselves until they are 5-6 years old.

Gannets are long-lived, reaching ages of 20 years or more. About 220,000 breed in Britain and numbers are stable. However, Gannets are vulnerable to oil spills and getting caught in fishing nets and, with so many breeding here, they are Amber Listed.

Their Latin name is 'morus bassanus' where 'morus' is derived from the Ancient Greek 'moros' meaning 'foolish', as breeding Gannets could be so easily killed. The 'bassanus' comes from the Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth where many Gannets breed. Their English name is from the Old English word 'ganot' meaning 'strong or masculine'. Regional names include 'herring gant' in Norfolk and 'mackerel gant' in Yorkshire, referring to the fish they eat.

Kittiwake

The Kittiwake is a true 'sea gull', spending more time at sea than other gulls. It is a brilliant flyer, even in gales and storms, looking Tern-like on stiff wings. It is unusual to find a Kittiwake inland. In North America, our Kittiwake is known as the Black-legged Kittiwake to differentiate it from the Red-legged Kittiwake, only found there.

The Kittiwake is gentle-looking and Common Gull sized. It has a white body with a blue-grey back and distinctive black triangular wing tips that look like they have been dipped in ink. Their bill is yellow with no red spot or mark and they have black feet. Youngsters have a 'W' pattern on their wings and a dark mark behind their eyes. They say their name, calling a gruff "kitty-wake".

Large numbers of Kittiwakes will gather where food is plentiful, plunge diving to feed on herrings, sprats, and sand eels. If fish are scarce, they will eat shrimps and squid. They will also follow fishing boats and even whales to pick up any discarded fish scraps. Unlike other gulls, they turn their noses up at scavenging on landfill sites. An upper-class bird of the seas.

Kittiwakes nest on the sheerest of sea cliffs, in noisy colonies, from February to August, often with Guillemots and Razorbills. Both mum and dad build the nest by cementing seaweed to a cliff ledge with their droppings to create a cup shape nest that stops the eggs from rolling off. The nest is lined with soft, dry material such as moss or grass. Both parents take turns incubating the 2 eggs, which hatch after 27 days. They feed the youngsters until they can fly and become independent 40 days later. The young Kittiwakes leave in autumn and fly to Greenland where many will spend their first two years before returning to the nesting site, though they won't breed themselves until they are 4 years old.

Kittiwakes can live for 20 years or more and UK numbers have grown to 400,000 with nest sites on bridges and buildings near the sea. Worldwide, it is one of the most numerous seabirds. As they rely so much on the sea, they are vulnerable to falling food stocks from overfishing and global warming.

Their Latin name is 'rissa tridactyla' where 'rissa' is from the Icelandic name 'rita' for a Kittiwake and 'tridactyl' is from the Ancient Greek 'tridaktulos' meaning 'three-toed', ('tri' for 'three' and 'daktulos' for 'toe'). The English name is derived from their call.

Great Black-backed Gull

The Great Black-backed Gull is the largest gull in the world and, because of their size, has relatively few enemies, though may occasionally make a tasty snack for a White-tailed Eagle. It is a merciless tyrant that likes to throw its weight around, pinching food from other birds. They have even robbed dinner from a Peregrine Falcon! You usually see them singly or in pairs, often round fishing ports where they feed on scraps.

It is a very large, thick-set gull, with a powerful yellow bill with a red spot, a dark back (much darker back than the smaller, Lesser Black-backed Gull), a white angular head and thick neck. There is a small amount of white on the wing tips and their legs are pink. It is heavy and powerful looking in flight with its broad wings and can look quite hunched when perched. The young Great Black-backed Gull is a typical streaky grey-brown, like many young gulls, with a back bill, a chequered pattern on its back, a pale head and a pale tail. They only start to become adult black after three years and are only fully mature after five years. Their call is a gruff donkey-like "uk, uk, uk!".

The Great Black-backed Gull eats a wide variety of food by hunting, scavenging, or aggressively taking it from other birds. It dines on seabirds (especially young Puffins and Manx Shearwaters), bird’s eggs, fish, shellfish and even rabbits. Although fish is their primary food, they are equally at home on a good rubbish tip. Lacking razor-sharp talons and a curved, tearing beak, the Great Black-backed Gull relies on its size and physical strength, swallowing most foods whole. When food is too large to be swallowed, they will shake it until it falls apart. If it is covered in a hard shell, they will drop it onto rocks or hard ground to crack it open.

Great Black-backed Gulls nest on islands and cliff-tops or inland lakes and reservoirs. The nest is a mound of vegetation or seaweed. The 2-3 eggs hatch after 27 days and the youngsters are cared for by both parents. They can fly 7-8 weeks later when they become independent and menacing.

The Great Black-backed Gull came close to extinction because of persecution in the 18th century - for its feathers, which were used in hat making. In the 19th century, numbers began to recover, mainly as a result of waste seafood produced by the growing fishing industry. They are mainly resident in Britain, not going far from their breeding grounds, though birds from further north migrate here in winter with many arriving from Norway. There are 17,000 breeding pairs in Britain which swells to over 76,000 in winter. The oldest ringed Great Black-backed Gull lived for 23 years.

Their Latin name is 'larus marinus' where 'larus' means 'large seabird' and 'marinus' means 'marine' or 'of the sea'. Taken together, that makes it a big seagull. Fancy that.

Lesser Black-backed Gull

You find the Lesser Black-backed Gull on farmland, wetlands, and around the coast. It is a large, elegant gull, just a little smaller than the Herring Gull. Like many gulls, it can be a nightmare to identify, especially if you can't see its feet. It is omnivorous and often scavenges around rubbish tips and in urban areas. The entire world's population of Lesser Black-backed Gull is in Europe and a staggering one third of the UK's population lives on Walney Island in Cumbria. Until the 1980s, the Lesser Black-backed Gull was almost exclusively a summer visitor, overwintering in France and Portugal, but now an increasing number stay here through the winter in coastal areas.

The Lesser Black-backed Gull is closely related to the Herring Gull, though looks slimmer and more elegant. It is white with a dark slate grey back, yellow legs and a yellow bill with a red spot. Youngsters are streaked brown and take four years to develop into full adult plumage. In flight, it has rather long narrow wings, making it look long winged. Their call is a gruff "kaw" or a laughing "owp-owp-owp" which sounds similar to a Herring Gull but is more nasal and muffled.

Like the Herring Gull, they eat a wide variety of food, such as small mammals, eggs, fish, worms, seaweed, berries, morsels from rubbish tips and food pinched from other birds.

Most Lesser Black-backed Gulls nest near the coast on islands, dunes or moors. Breeding begins in April and they build the nest on the ground from seaweed or grasses, often near tall vegetation where the chicks can hide. The 3 eggs hatch after 24 days and the youngsters leave the nest a few days later but stay nearby. Both parents feed them and they can fly 30-40 days later.

Outside of the breeding season, Lesser Black-backed Gulls range widely, often roosting on reservoirs and big lakes like Rutland Water. About 110,000 breed in Britain, rising to 130,000 in winter as darker backed Scandinavian gulls arrive, though many of the ones that breed here disperse down to Spain. The oldest known Lesser Black-backed Gull lived to 34. After declines in the 19th century, because of persecution, numbers increased, but this has now halted. The Lesser Black-backed Gull is on the Amber List because Britain is home to 40% of the European population and more than half of these are found at fewer than ten sites, making them vulnerable to any local environmental changes.

Their Latin name is 'larus fuscus' from 'larus' for a gull or other large seabird, and 'fuscus' meaning black or brown, reflecting their darker grey back.

Common Gull

Despite its name, the Common Gull is another ‘common’ that is not all that common. It is difficult to find in most inland areas, being more abundant in its breeding areas on the coast and on wetlands. In winter, like other gulls, they are beginning to migrate inland to be found on housing estates, sports fields and landfill sites.

The Common Gull is smaller though has a similar appearance to the larger Herring Gull, but lacks the red spot on its bill and looks more gentle despite its dark eyes. The upper wings are grey, with a large white spot on the black wing tip, which is how to identify them in flight. There is no white on the wing's leading edge, but there is a wide white trailing edge. The head and underparts are white, and their legs are yellow green. The call is higher pitched than other gulls, a mewing "keel-you". One of its names is the ‘mew gull’.

The Common Gull eats almost anything, feeding on aquatic insects, worms, small mammals, carrion, eggs, small fish, crabs and, like other gulls, is partial to a bit of landfill, especially in winter.

It breeds on coastal marshes, sand dunes, rocky ledges, shingle beaches, and sometimes on buildings. Most nest on the coast among colonies of other gulls or terns, though a few small groups nest on northern moorland. There is a large movement of Common Gulls in March as they go to their northern breeding grounds. The nest is built on the ground by both birds from vegetation or seaweed, and 2-5 eggs are laid in May, which hatch after 23 days. The young gulls leave the nest within 5 days and stay in the vicinity, being fed by mum and dad, until they can fly 25 days later when they become bolshy teenagers, soon wanting their independence.

There are 50,000 breeding pairs in Britain, though the number swells to 700,000 in winter as more arrive here from summer nesting grounds in Scandinavia. The number of Common Gulls in Britain has recently declined. This is thought to be due to the draining of marshes.

Their Latin name is 'larus canus' where 'larus' means 'gull'. There is a bit of dispute whether 'canus' refers to 'dog', as its brief call can sound like a small dog, or 'grey' because of its colour. Absentminded scientists have named it and then can't remember why.


Common Gull video courtesy of Avibirds