Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus   [Temminck, 1820]

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   Page updated:16-January-2013

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Laridae
BTO Codes: MU, MEDGU EURING No: 5750
Number in Britain: 490 pairs (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: AMBER
European: Not a species of concern
Global: (Details)
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (A)  Migrant/Resident Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies: Monotypic
.
Length: 37 cm Wingspan: 96 cm Weight: M/F: 320 g    
Scientific name from: Gr.: laros=a seabird and Gr.: melas=black + kephalos=head
World Distribution: Locally in coastal Europe
Habitat: Steppe, seacoasts, marshes, lakes
Diet: Summer, insects, Winter, marine fish and molluscs

Population and Distribution

Population Trend: JNCC Seabird Monitoring Programme
Distribution: Atlas Maps   
British Population Size:
    Summer: 490 pairs in 2005-09
    Winter: 1800 individuals in 2004-09
    First Record: Greater London, 1866
    First Breeding Record: Hampshire 1968
    Latest Survey: Holling, M. & RBBP (2011) British Birds 104:476-537
    Conservation Status: AMBER because Small Breeding Population,
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER     1996-2001 AMBER  
   Races of Concern:
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    No habitat data from BBS
Migration routes: Map of foreign ringing recoveries
European Population Size:
    Summer: 117 to 310 thousand pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe mapped by the EBCC Atlas
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WCA(I), WBD(I), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA
Survey Results: Results from BirdTrack
Summary text from Seabird 2000 (warning: link to large pdf)

Breeding and Survival

Egg Size: 54 x 38 mm Egg Weight: 42.5 g (of which 6 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 0
Clutch Size: 3 eggs
Incubation: 23- 25 days   by the: Male + Female
Fledging: 35 - 40days as: Semi-precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid: Unavailable
Number of Broods: 1
Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: No data
Juvenile Survival: No data
Age at First Breeding: Typical Lifespan: No data
Maximum Recorded Age: 15 years 3 months 7 days (set in 2006)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics

Ring Size: E
Wing Length Adult: 305.8 ± 8.8     Range 281.0 - 325.0 mm, (N = 68)
Juvenile: Insufficient Data
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: Insufficient Data
Weight Adult: 330.7 ± 37.08 Range 260.0 - 390.0 g , (N =33)
Juvenile: Insufficient Data
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: Insufficient Data
Seasonal: Winter 328.1 ± 38.57 (N = 35)  
Source: British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names

 
Gaelic: Welsh: Gwylan Mr y Canoldir
Danish: Sorthovedet måge Dutch: Zwartkopmeeuw
Finnish: Mustanmerenlokki French: Mouette mélanocéphale
German: Schwarzkopfmöwe Hungarian: Szerecsensirály
Icelandic: Lónamáfur Irish: Sléibhín Meánmhuirí
Italian: Gabbiano corallino Norwegian: Svartehavsmåke
Polish: Mewa czarnoglowa Portuguese: Gaivota-de-cabeça-preta
Spanish: Gaviota cabecinegra Swedish: Svarthuvad mås

For More Information...

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Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
Read State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead