Common Gull

The Common Gull (European and Asian subspecies) or Mew Gull (North American subspecies) is a medium-sized gull. The body is grey above and white below. The legs are greenish-yellow. In winter, the head is streaked grey and the bill often has a poorly defined blackish band near the tip (sometimes sufficiently obvious to cause confusion with Ring-billed Gull). They have black wingtips with large white "mirrors". Young birds have scaly black-brown upperparts and a neat wing pattern, and grey legs. They take two to three years to reach maturity. The call is a high-pitched "laughing" cry.

The Common Gull can be found in northern Asia, northern Europe and north west USA but it migrates further south in winter. The global population is estimated to be about one million pairs and it is most numerous in Europe with over 50% (possibly as much as 80-90%) of the world population.

The Common Gull breeds colonially near water or in marshes, making a lined nest on the ground or in a small tree. Colony size varies from 2 to 320 or even more pairs.

Date: 26th May 2009

Location: Store Ekkerøy, Varangerfjord, Finnmark, Norway