Species › Birds

Mediterranean Gull

Larus melanocephalus

Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Presence in the Strait: Seasonal
Abundance: common
Protection in Spain: Special protection (List)
In Spanish: Gaviota cabecinegra

Marine taxonomy: validated in WoRMS, AphiaID 1584284

Photograph: Вячеслав Юсупов, CC BY, vía iNaturalist

Length: 36–38 cm
Wingspan: 98–105 cm
Weight: 285 g

Presence in the Strait

Common winter visitor to the coasts with some birds oversummering.

Identification

Like a Black-headed Gull but with more pelagic habits, paler grey mantle, broader and without black wings. In winter plumage, characteristic blackish patch on ear coverts and crown; in breeding plumage, black head. Juveniles may be confused with a Black-headed Gull or a Common Gull of their same age, but the wing pattern is different and they have dark-coloured legs and a dark bill.

Movements

Peaks in 2nd hf. February and 1st hf. November.

Ring recoveries

Russia (2).

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

15 %

Peak in November. 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: 25 February 1966
Latest record: 3 July 2025

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: NT · Near threatened · wintering or migrating
Global Red List (IUCN): LC · Least concern

Annex I of the Birds Directive

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.

Phenology compared

Monthly distribution in proportion, by decade. It shows whether the passage is getting earlier or later.

2000–2009

2010–2026

Proportions, not totals: observation effort grew faster than any population.

Where they come from

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

Russia2

See the journey on the map

Same genus in the Strait

Mew Gull38–44 cm · Occasional · overlapping size
Audouin´s Gull48–52 cm · Seasonal
Lesser Black-backed Gull52–67 cm · Seasonal
Yellow-legged Gull55–67 cm · Resident
Great Black-backed Gull64–78 cm · Occasional

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: 2481194

Sources

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

Mediterranean Gull

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Movements

Ring recoveries

Gallery