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Species › Birds

Audouin´s Gull

Larus audouinii

Order
Charadriiformes
Family
Laridae
Presence in the Strait
Seasonal
Abundance
common
Protection in Spain
Vulnerable · Andalusian Catalogue
In Spanish
Gaviota de Audouin

Photograph: Diego González Dopico, CC BY, vía iNaturalist

Length
48–52 cm
Wingspan
127–138 cm
Weight
675 g
050100150LENGTH48–52 cmWINGSPAN127–138 cmcentimetres

Presence in the Strait

Common winter visitor to coasts (>300) with some summering. Species that was very rare and in grave danger before the ‘80s; since then recovering.

Identification

Gull with elegant appearance and pale colour tones. Grey legs and red bill with a black and yellow tip. In flight, pale grey back with a little white on black wing-tips. Juveniles are similar to a Lesser Black-backed Gull but with more uniform colouration on head, neck and breast, two-toned bill, and underwing more strongly patterned, white rump and black tail. Second year birds with “smart” wing pattern.

Movements

Postnuptial migration is more conspicuous with peaks in 2nd hf. August and 1st hf. September; prenuptial migration in 2nd hf. March.

Ring recoveries

Birds from different Mediterranean colonies have been noted: Tarragona (111), Melilla (7), Castellón (5), Majorca (2) and Murcia (1).

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Gallery

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.