Birds · Charadriiformes · Laridae

Yellow-legged Gull

Larus michahellis

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The yellow-legged gull is the commonest large gull of the Mediterranean and the Iberian coasts, with a grey back, yellow legs and a red eye-ring. Its population has grown enormously over recent decades thanks to landfill sites and fishery discards, and it has become a conservation problem: it preys on the eggs and chicks of more threatened species and colonises the rooftops of coastal cities.

Weight

750 g – 1.5 kg

Size

52 cm – 68 cm

Lifespan

25 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanIslandsOmnivore Diurnal Colonial Bird Ocean Islands

17countries 81parks19same family

Fun facts

GeneralThe commonest large gull on the Spanish coast; it now breeds on the rooftops of many cities.
It is a case of a native species turned problem: its population explosion, fed by landfill sites and fishery discards, has made it a predator threatening colonies of storm petrels, shearwaters and terns on islets throughout the Mediterranean.
It breeds on the rooftops of Spanish coastal cities and defends the nest by attacking residents who come out onto the roof terrace, which causes recurrent conflict in Barcelona, Valencia and Cádiz.
The closure of open landfill sites in Spain is reducing its urban populations, an unplanned side effect of waste policy.