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closeIUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Least Concern |
| 2009 | Least Concern |
| 2008 | Least Concern |
| 2004 | Least Concern |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type | Average mass | 312 g |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 6,410,000 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 33,700,000 | medium |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | poor | Estimated | 2009 | |
| Population trend | Stable | - | ||
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 11.5 | - | - | - |
| Trend justification: Although Wetlands International consider the current population trend to be unknown, it is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats (del Hoyo et al. 1996). | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | Vagrant | No | |||
| Angola | Native | No | |||
| Argentina | Native | No | |||
| Benin | Native | No | |||
| Botswana | Native | No | |||
| Brazil | Native | No | |||
| Burkina Faso | Vagrant | No | |||
| Burundi | Native | No | |||
| Cameroon | Native | No | |||
| Côte d'Ivoire | Vagrant | No | |||
| Central African Republic | Vagrant | No | |||
| Chad | Native | No | |||
| Comoros | Vagrant | No | |||
| Congo | Unknown | No | |||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | Native | No | |||
| Ecuador | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Egypt | Vagrant | No | |||
| Equatorial Guinea | Unknown | No | |||
| Ethiopia | Native | No | |||
| Falkland Islands (Malvinas) | Vagrant | No | |||
| French Southern Territories | Unknown | No | |||
| Gabon | Unknown | No | |||
| Gambia | Native | No | |||
| Ghana | Vagrant | No | |||
| Guinea | Native | No | |||
| Guinea-Bissau | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Israel | Vagrant | No | |||
| Jordan | Vagrant | No | |||
| Kenya | Native | No | |||
| Lesotho | Vagrant | No | |||
| Liberia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Madagascar | Native | No | |||
| Malawi | Native | No | |||
| Mali | Native | No | |||
| Mauritania | Native | No | |||
| Mayotte (to France) | Unknown | No | |||
| Morocco | Native | No | |||
| Mozambique | Native | No | |||
| Namibia | Native | No | |||
| Niger | Native | No | |||
| Nigeria | Native | No | |||
| Panama | Vagrant | No | |||
| Paraguay | Native | No | |||
| Peru | Native | No | |||
| Rwanda | Native | No | |||
| São Tomé e Príncipe | Unknown | No | |||
| Senegal | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Seychelles | Unknown | No | |||
| Sierra Leone | Native | No | |||
| Somalia | Vagrant | No | |||
| South Africa | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Spain | Vagrant | No | |||
| Sudan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Swaziland | Native | No | |||
| Tanzania | Native | No | |||
| Togo | Vagrant | No | |||
| Tunisia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Uganda | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Uruguay | Vagrant | No | |||
| Western Sahara | Native | No | |||
| Zambia | Native | No | |||
| Zimbabwe | Native | No |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Chad | Lake Chad |  |
| Ecuador | Humedales de Pacoa | |
| Ecuador | Lagunas de Ecuasal-Salinas | |
| Gambia | Allahein to Kartung coast | |
| Gambia | Tanbi wetland complex | |
| Guinea-Bissau | Arquipélago dos Bijagós | |
| Kenya | Lake Nakuru National Park | |
| Malawi | Lake Chilwa and flood-plain | |
| Mali | Lac Débo - Lac Oualado Débo | |
| Mali | Lac Faguibine | |
| Mauritania | Aftout es Sâheli | |
| Senegal | Delta du Saloum | |
| Senegal | Guembeul Avifaunal Reserve and St Louis lagoons | |
| Senegal | Parc National de la Langue de Barbarie | |
| South Africa | Lake St Lucia and Mkuze swamps | |
| Tanzania | Lake Eyasi | |
| Uganda | Lutembe Bay | |
| Uganda | Musambwa islands | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Salt Exploitation Sites | suitable | breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Rural Gardens | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Sand Dunes | marginal | breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands | major | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Rocky Shoreline | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Tidepools | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | major | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Lakes | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Seasonal/Intermittent Saline, Brackish or Alkaline Lakes and Flats | suitable | breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 1000 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Threats & impact
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases / Avian Botulism (Clostridium botulinum) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Minority (<50%) | Rapid Declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
| |||||||||
Utilisation
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food (human) | Whole | Eggs | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | International | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Medicine | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Larus cirrocephalus. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 25/05/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 25/05/2013.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Least Concern |
| Family | Laridae (Gulls and terns) |
| Species name author | Vieillot, 1818 |
| Population size | mature individuals |
| Population trend | Stable |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 6,410,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
|
- Summary information on this species - Climate change species distributions | |
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