Data Zone
Taxonomic source(s)
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: #http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of _the_WP15.xls#.
Christidis, L. and Boles, W.E. 2008. Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia.
Cramp, S. and Simmons, K.E.L. (eds). 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Least Concern | |
| 2016 | Least Concern | |
| 2012 | Least Concern | |
| 2009 | Least Concern | |
| 2008 | Least Concern | |
| 2004 | Least Concern | |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type | Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 44,500,000 | |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 123,000,000 | |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Severely Fragmented | - |
| Value | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | poor | estimated | 2012 | |
| Population trend | Unknown | - | ||
| Decline (3 years/1 generation past) | - | - | - | |
| Decline (5 years/1 generation past) | - | - | - | |
| Decline (10 years/1 generation past) | - | - | - | |
| Decline (10 years/3 generation future) | - | - | - | |
| Decline (10 years/3 generation past and future) | - | - | - | |
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Percentage in largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 9.6 | - | - | - |
Population justification: The global population has been estimated to number c.4,800,000-8,900,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2015). The European population is estimated at 1,340,000-1,990,000 pairs, which equates to 2,670,000-3,980,000 mature individuals or 4,000,000-5,970,000 individuals (BirdLife International 2015). Combining the new figures for the European population (BirdLife International 2015) with estimates from the other populations in Wetlands International (2015) provides an overall estimate of 4,400,000-8,200,000 individuals. National population estimates include: > c.1,000 individuals on migration and > c.1,000 wintering individuals in China; c.1,000-10,000 individuals on migration and > c.1,000 wintering individuals in Taiwan; > c.1,000 individuals on migration and > c.1,000 wintering individuals in Korea; < c.10,000 individuals on migration and c.1,000-10,000 wintering individuals in Japan and c.10,000-1 million breeding pairs and > c.1,000 individuals on migration in Russia (Brazil 2009).
Trend justification: The overall population trend is unclear. Some populations have unknown trends (Wetlands International 2015). This species has undergone a large and statistically significant increase over the last 40 years in North America (361% increase over 40 years, equating to a 46.6% increase per decade; data from Breeding Bird Survey and/or Christmas Bird Count: Butcher and Niven 2007). Note, however, that these surveys cover less than 50% of the species's range in North America. Between 1990 and 2013 the European population is estimated to have declined moderately (EBCC 2015).
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Presence | Resident | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Albania | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Algeria | N | Extant | ||||
| Angola | V | Extant | ||||
| Antigua and Barbuda | N | Extant | ||||
| Armenia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Australia | V | Extant | ||||
| Austria | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Azerbaijan | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Bahamas | V | Extant | ||||
| Bahrain | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Bangladesh | N | Extant | ||||
| Barbados | N | Extant | ||||
| Belarus | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Belgium | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Benin | N | Extant | ||||
| Bermuda (to UK) | N | Extant | ||||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Botswana | V | Extant | ||||
| Brunei | V | Extant | ||||
| Bulgaria | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Burkina Faso | N | Extant | ||||
| Burundi | V | Extant | ||||
| Cambodia | N | Extant | ||||
| Cameroon | V | Extant | ||||
| Canada | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Cape Verde | N | Extant | ||||
| Chad | V | Extant | ||||
| China (mainland) | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | V | Extant | ||||
| Côte d'Ivoire | N | Extant | ||||
| Croatia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Cuba | V | Extant | ||||
| Cyprus | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Czechia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Denmark | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Djibouti | N | Extant | ||||
| Dominica | N | Extant | ||||
| Egypt | N | Extant | ||||
| Eritrea | N | Extant | ||||
| Estonia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Ethiopia | N | Extant | ||||
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Finland | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| France | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| French Guiana | N | Extant | ||||
| Gambia | N | Extant | ||||
| Georgia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Germany | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Ghana | N | Extant | ||||
| Gibraltar (to UK) | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Greece | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Greenland (to Denmark) | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Grenada | V | Extant | ||||
| Guadeloupe (to France) | N | Extant | ||||
| Guam (to USA) | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Guinea | V | Extant | ||||
| Guinea-Bissau | N | Extant | ||||
| Hong Kong (China) | N | Extant | ||||
| Hungary | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Iceland | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| India | N | Extant | ||||
| Indonesia | N | Extant | ||||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Iraq | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Ireland | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Israel | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Italy | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Japan | N | Extant | ||||
| Jordan | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Kazakhstan | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Kenya | N | Extant | ||||
| Kuwait | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Kyrgyzstan | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Laos | N | Extant | ||||
| Latvia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Lebanon | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Liberia | V | Extant | ||||
| Libya | N | Extant | ||||
| Liechtenstein | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Lithuania | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Luxembourg | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Malaysia | N | Extant | ||||
| Maldives | V | Extant | ||||
| Mali | N | Extant | ||||
| Malta | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Martinique (to France) | N | Extant | ||||
| Mauritania | N | Extant | ||||
| Mexico | N | Extant | ||||
| Micronesia, Federated States of | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Moldova | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Monaco | U | Extant | ||||
| Mongolia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Montenegro | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Montserrat (to UK) | N | Extant | ||||
| Morocco | N | Extant | ||||
| Myanmar | N | Extant | ||||
| Nepal | N | Extant | ||||
| Netherlands | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Niger | N | Extant | ||||
| Nigeria | N | Extant | ||||
| North Korea | N | Extant | ||||
| North Macedonia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Northern Mariana Islands (to USA) | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Norway | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Oman | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Pakistan | N | Extant | ||||
| Palau | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Palestine | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Papua New Guinea | V | Extant | ||||
| Philippines | N | Extant | ||||
| Poland | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Portugal | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Puerto Rico (to USA) | N | Extant | ||||
| Qatar | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Romania | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Russia | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Russia (Asian) | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Russia (Central Asian) | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Russia (European) | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Rwanda | N | Extant | ||||
| Saudi Arabia | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Senegal | N | Extant | ||||
| Serbia | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Seychelles | V | Extant | ||||
| Sierra Leone | V | Extant | ||||
| Singapore | N | Extant | ||||
| Slovakia | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Slovenia | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Somalia | N | Extant | ||||
| South Africa | V | Extant | ||||
| South Korea | N | Extant | ||||
| South Sudan | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Spain | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Sri Lanka | N | Extant | ||||
| St Kitts and Nevis | N | Extant | ||||
| St Lucia | N | Extant | ||||
| St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| St Vincent and the Grenadines | N | Extant | ||||
| Sudan | N | Extant | ||||
| Suriname | N | Extant | ||||
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Sweden | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Switzerland | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Syria | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Taiwan, China | N | Extant | ||||
| Tajikistan | N | Extant | ||||
| Tanzania | N | Extant | ||||
| Thailand | N | Extant | ||||
| Togo | V | Extant | ||||
| Trinidad and Tobago | N | Extant | ||||
| Tunisia | N | Extant | ||||
| Turkey | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Turkmenistan | N | Extant | ||||
| Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) | V | Extant | ||||
| Uganda | N | Extant | ||||
| Ukraine | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| United Arab Emirates | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| United Kingdom | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| USA | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Uzbekistan | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Vietnam | N | Extant | ||||
| Virgin Islands (to USA) | N | Extant | Yes | |||
| Western Sahara | N | Extant | ||||
| Yemen | N | Extant | Yes | Yes | ||
| Zimbabwe | V | Extant |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Wastewater Treatment Areas | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable Land | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Urban Areas | suitable | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Subtropical/Tropical Seasonally Wet/Flooded | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Sand Dunes | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Rocky Shoreline | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses) | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Tidepools | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Pelagic | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Pelagic | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Altitude | Occasional altitudinal limits |
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food - human | - | - | Non-trivial | Recent | ||
| Pets/display animals, horticulture | - | - | International | Non-trivial | Recent | |
| Sport hunting/specimen collecting | - | - | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Species factsheet: Larus ridibundus. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 28/03/2023.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2023) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 28/03/2023.
