Species › Birds

Mew Gull

Larus canus

Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Presence in the Strait: Occasional
Protection in Spain: Special protection (List)
In Spanish: Gaviota cana

Marine taxonomy: validated in WoRMS, AphiaID 137141

Photograph: Bengt Nyman, CC BY, vía iNaturalist

Length: 38–44 cm
Wingspan: 106–125 cm
Weight: 790 g

Presence in the Strait

Occasional.

Identification

Similar to a Yellow-legged Gull, but much smaller, with round head, yellow bill with black band, dark eyes and grey-streaked head. Juveniles have pale legs, a black bill with greyish base and wings are similar to those of a Mediterranean Gull with more uniform colouration.

Movements

Most observations are made between December and April.

Ring recoveries

Germany (4) and Norway (1).

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

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.

Calendar in the Strait

25 %

Peak in January. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 3.6 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

First open record: 31 December 1975
Latest record: 20 December 2024

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Spanish Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: NE · Not evaluated · wintering or migrating
Global Red List (IUCN): LC · Least concern

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Where they come from

5 birds ringed in other countries and recovered in the area.

Germany4
Norway1

See the journey on the map

Same genus in the Strait

Mediterranean Gull36–38 cm · Seasonal · overlapping size
Laughing Gull39–46 cm · Vagrant · overlapping size
Ring-billed Gull41–49 cm · Vagrant · overlapping size
Audouin´s Gull48–52 cm · Seasonal
Lesser Black-backed Gull52–67 cm · Seasonal

Species of the same genus that also occur here, ordered by how close they are in size. Being relatives does not mean they are confused in the field, but that is where the doubts start: compare size and season.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
GBIF taxon key: 7982160

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Bengt Nyman, CC BY, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026

Mew Gull

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Movements

Ring recoveries

Gallery