Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisWhere and when to see them

The Yellow-legged Gull is a large, adaptable gull native mainly to southern Europe, North Africa and adjoining regions. Adults have a white head and body, a grey back and yellow legs. Once commonly treated as part of the Herring Gull complex, it is now recognised as a separate species. It occurs along both the Douro and the Saône, using rivers for feeding, resting and travel. Although strongly associated with coasts, it also breeds and forages well inland.

Size

52-68 cm long, with a wingspan of 120-155 cm.

Weight

Approximately 550-1,600 g.

Lifespan

Can live for more than 20 years.

Status

Least Concern (IUCN).

Yellow-legged Gulls are social birds that often gather at feeding sites and communal roosts. They breed in colonies, where pairs defend the area immediately around their nests. Courtship and territorial encounters involve conspicuous calls, postures and displays. During the breeding season, adults may mob animals or people that approach their eggs or chicks. They search for food while walking, swimming or flying, and sometimes steal food from other birds. Outside the breeding season, they become less tied to nest sites and may gather in mixed-species gull flocks. Many adults remain within their broader breeding region, while young birds often disperse more widely.

• Its scientific name honours the naturalist Karl Michahelles.
• Chicks peck at the red spot on a parent's bill to solicit food.
• Some colonies nest on urban rooftops rather than natural cliffs or islands.
• Young birds take roughly four years to acquire adult plumage.

Wildlife opportunities depend on the river reach, water levels and species. River-specific viewing months have not been confirmed; general species seasons are not a local sighting forecast.

This species occupies rocky coasts, islands, beaches, estuaries and coastal wetlands. Inland, it uses rivers, reservoirs, lakes and gravel pits, as well as towns and agricultural land. Nest sites include bare ground, rocky ledges, islands and building rooftops. On the Douro, suitable places to look include the estuary around Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, together with open water and resting sites farther upstream. Along the Saône, broad river reaches, exposed banks and nearby lakes or gravel pits can provide feeding and resting habitat.

The Yellow-legged Gull is an opportunistic omnivore with a diet that varies by location and season. It eats fish, aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, carrion and discarded food. It also takes eggs, chicks and small vertebrates when opportunities arise. Food may be collected from the water surface, shorelines, fields or human-associated feeding sites.

Common name

Yellow-legged Gull

Scientific name

Larus michahellis

Animal group

Birds

Size

52-68 cm long, with a wingspan of 120-155 cm.

Weight

Approximately 550-1,600 g.

Lifespan

Can live for more than 20 years.

Status

Least Concern (IUCN).

Identification

An adult has a medium-grey back and upperwings, a white body, yellow legs and a strong yellow bill with a red spot near the tip of the lower mandible. The outer wings are black with white markings, and the head is usually clean white in summer but can show some streaking in winter. Young birds are mottled brown, with dark bills and generally pinkish legs, and acquire adult plumage over roughly four years. Yellow legs alone are not diagnostic: separation from Herring, Lesser Black-backed and Caspian Gulls requires attention to structure, mantle shade, wing pattern and age.