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Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus
IUCN 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 | - |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 182,000 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 1,770,000 | 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) | 10.1 | - | - | - |
| Trend justification: The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats. | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | Native | No | |||
| Algeria | Native | No | |||
| Austria | Native | No | |||
| Azerbaijan | Native | No | |||
| Belarus | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Belgium | Native | No | |||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Native | No | |||
| Bulgaria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Croatia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Cyprus | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Czech Republic | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Denmark | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Egypt | Native | No | |||
| Finland | Vagrant | No | |||
| France | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Gambia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Germany | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Gibraltar (to UK) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Greece | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Hungary | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Iraq | Unknown | No | Yes | ||
| Ireland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Israel | Native | No | |||
| Italy | Native | No | |||
| Kazakhstan | Vagrant | No | |||
| Kenya | Vagrant | No | |||
| Kuwait | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Latvia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Lebanon | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Libya | Native | No | |||
| Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of | Native | No | |||
| Malta | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Mauritania | Native | No | |||
| Monaco | Unknown | No | |||
| Montenegro | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Morocco | Native | No | |||
| Netherlands | Native | No | |||
| Norway | Vagrant | No | |||
| Palestinian Authority Territories | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Poland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Portugal | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Romania | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Russia (European) | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Saudi Arabia | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Senegal | Vagrant | No | |||
| Serbia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Slovakia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Slovenia | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Spain | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Sudan | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Sweden | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Switzerland | Native | No | |||
| Syria | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Tunisia | Native | No | |||
| Turkey | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Turkmenistan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Ukraine | Native | No | |||
| United Arab Emirates | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom | Native | No | |||
| Western Sahara | Unknown | No |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | Delta of the Rhine |  |
| Austria | Southern Seewinkel and Zitzmannsdorfer Wiesen | |
| Austria | Storage lakes on the lower Inn | |
| Belgium | Kuifeend and Blokkersdijk | |
| Belgium | Schorren en Polder van de Beneden-Schelde | |
| Belgium | Zwin | |
| France | Basse vallée du Var | |
| France | Camargue | |
| France | Petite Camargue laguno-marine | |
| France | Vallée de la Loire : environs de Montlouis-sur-Loire | |
| France | Vallée de la Loire : Orléanais | |
| France | Vallée du Rhin : Strasbourg à Lauterbourg | |
| Greece | Alyki Angelochoriou lagoon (Megalou Emvolou) | |
| Greece | Axios, Loudias, and Aliakmon estuaries | |
| Greece | Evros delta | |
| Greece | Gallikos estuary and Kalohori lagoon | |
| Greece | Gera gulf-Dipi and Haramida marshes, Lesvos | |
| Greece | Lake Mitrikou (Ismarida) | |
| Greece | Nestou delta and coastal lagoons | |
| Greece | Porto Lagos, Lake Vistonis, and coastal lagoons (Lakes of Thrace) | |
| Hungary | Alkaline lakes of Kiskunság | |
| Hungary | Lower Tisza Valley | |
| Hungary | Sárvíz Valley | |
| Netherlands | Lake Veersemeer | |
| Netherlands | Lake Volkerak | |
| Netherlands | Markiezaat | |
| Netherlands | Westerschelde and Saeftinghe | |
| Netherlands | Zoommeer | |
| Poland | Brzeszcze ponds | |
| Poland | Kuznica Warezynska Reservoir | |
| Poland | Malopolska Wisla river gap | |
| Poland | Middle Vistula River Valley | |
| Poland | Mietkow reservoir | |
| Poland | Nysa reservoir | |
| Poland | Skoki Gravel-Pit | |
| Poland | Turek Site | |
| Poland | Upper Odra River Valley | |
| Romania | Balta Albă - Amara - Jirlău | |
| Romania | Black Sea | |
| Romania | Danube Delta | |
| Romania | Lake Beibugeac (Plopu) | |
| Romania | Lake Bugeac | |
| Romania | Lake Dunăreni | |
| Romania | Lake Oltina | |
| Romania | Lake Techirghiol | |
| Romania | Limanu - Herghelia | |
| Romania | Ostrovu Lung - Gostinu | |
| Russia (European) | Dadynskiye lakes | |
| Russia (European) | Islands in the western part of Lake Manych-Gudilo | |
| Russia (European) | Khanskoye Lake | |
| Russia (European) | Kiziltash limans | |
| Russia (European) | Yeiski salt-lakes | |
| Slovenia | Sečovlje saltpans | |
| Slovenia | Strunjan saltpans | |
| Spain | Ebro delta | |
| Spain | Llobregat delta | |
| Turkey | Büyükçekmece Lake | |
| Turkey | Bolluk Lake | |
| Turkey | Bosphorus | |
| Turkey | Gediz Delta | |
| Turkey | Kulu Lake | |
| Turkey | Seyfe Lake | |
| Ukraine | Kazantip Cape, Aktash lake and Astanins'ka marsh | |
| Ukraine | Obytichna peninsula | |
| Ukraine | Syvash Bay | |
| Ukraine | Yagorlyts'ka and Tendrivs'ka Bays | |
| United Kingdom | Alde - Ore Estuary | |
| United Kingdom | Bowland Fells | |
| United Kingdom | Chichester and Langstone Harbours | |
| United Kingdom | Copeland Islands | |
| United Kingdom | Mid-Essex Coast | |
| United Kingdom | Minsmere - Walberswick | |
| United Kingdom | North Norfolk Coast | |
| United Kingdom | Poole Harbour | |
| United Kingdom | Solent Marshes and Southampton Water | |
| United Kingdom | Strangford Lough and islands | |
| United Kingdom | The Swale | |
| United Kingdom | The Wash | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable Land | suitable | breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Pastureland | suitable | breeding |
| Grassland | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Freshwater Lakes | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses) | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Pelagic | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Pelagic | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) | suitable | breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 0 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Threats & impact
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
| |||||||||
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Decline | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
| |||||||||
| Pollution | Industrial & military effluents / Oil spills | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
| |||||||||
Utilisation
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food (human) | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Food (human) | Whole | Eggs | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Sport | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Larus melanocephalus. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 18/06/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 18/06/2013.
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 | Temminck, 1820 |
| Population size | mature individuals |
| Population trend | Stable |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 182,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
| - Summary information on this species | |
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