LC
Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis



Taxonomy

Taxonomic note
L. michahellis and L. armenicus (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) were previously lumped as L. michahellis following a review by the BirdLife Taxonomic Working Group. Prior to that, L. armenicus had been split and L. cachinnans (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) had been lumped with L. michahellis as L. cachinnans following Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993).

Taxonomic source(s)
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.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - -

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2019 Least Concern
2018 Least Concern
2016 Least Concern
2014 Least Concern
2012 Not Recognised
2008 Not Recognised
2004 Not Recognised
2000 Not Recognised
1994 Not Recognised
1988 Not Recognised
Species attributes

Migratory status full migrant Forest dependency does not normally occur in forest
Land-mass type Average mass -
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 12,200,000 km2
Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) 16,400,000 km2
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size unknown - - -
Population trend increasing - estimated -
Generation length 11.5 years - - -

Population justification: The global population size is unknown owing to recent taxonomic splits. The European population is estimated at 409,000-534,000 pairs, which equates to 819,000-1,070,000 mature individuals (BirdLife International 2015).

Trend justification: The overall population trend is increasing, although some populations have stable or unknown trends (Wetlands International 2015). The European population is estimated to be increasing (BirdLife International 2015).


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Albania extant native yes
Algeria extant native yes
Austria extant native yes
Bahrain extant vagrant
Belarus extant native yes
Belgium extant native yes
Bosnia and Herzegovina extant native yes
Bulgaria extant native yes
Cape Verde extant vagrant
Croatia extant native yes
Cyprus extant native yes
Czechia extant native yes
Denmark extant native yes
Egypt extant native yes yes
Finland extant vagrant
France extant native yes yes
Gambia extant vagrant
Georgia extant native yes
Germany extant native yes yes
Gibraltar (to UK) extant native yes
Greece extant native yes yes
Hungary extant native yes yes
Ireland extant vagrant
Israel extant native yes
Italy extant native yes
Jordan extant native yes yes
Lebanon extant native yes
Libya extant native yes
Liechtenstein extant vagrant
Malta extant native yes
Mauritania extant native yes
Monaco extant native yes
Montenegro extant native yes
Morocco extant native yes
Netherlands extant native yes
Nigeria extant vagrant
North Macedonia extant native yes
Palestine extant native yes
Poland extant native yes yes
Portugal extant native yes
Saudi Arabia extant native yes
Senegal extant vagrant
Serbia extant native yes
Slovakia extant native yes yes
Slovenia extant native yes yes
Spain extant native yes yes
Sweden extant vagrant
Switzerland extant native yes
Syria extant native yes
Tunisia extant native yes
Türkiye extant native yes
United Kingdom extant native yes yes
Western Sahara extant native yes

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name
Bulgaria Bakarlaka
Bulgaria Burgasko Lake
Bulgaria Ovtcharitsa Reservoir
France Estuaire de la Bidassoa et Baie de Fontarabie
France Etangs de Citis, Lavalduc, Engrenier, Pourra, l'Estomac, Fos et salines de Rassuen et de Fos
France Etangs de Leucate et Lapalme
France Etangs Montpellierains
France Etangs Narbonnais
France Golfe de Porto, presqu'île de Scandola et golfe de Galeria
France Iles d'Hyères
France Moyenne Vallée de la Durance
France Petite Camargue laguno-marine
Gibraltar (to UK) Strait of Gibraltar
Greece Axios, Loudias and Aliakmonas rivers' deltas
Greece Paros and Antiparos islands and surrounding islets
Morocco Sebkha Bou Areg
Portugal Berlengas
Portugal Ilhéu das Cabras
Slovenia River Drava
Slovenia Sečovlje saltpans
Tunisia Côte de Zerkine et El Grine
Tunisia Golfe de Boughrara
Tunisia Îles Kneiss
Türkiye Ayvalık
Türkiye Büyükçekmece Lake
Türkiye Çiçek Islands
Türkiye Eastern Black Sea Mountains
Türkiye Marmara Islands

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Artificial/Aquatic - Aquaculture Ponds suitable non-breeding
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Artificial/Aquatic - Irrigated Land (includes irrigation channels) suitable breeding
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Artificial/Aquatic - Ponds (below 8ha) suitable breeding
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Artificial/Aquatic - Salt Exploitation Sites suitable breeding
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Artificial/Aquatic - Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Land suitable breeding
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Artificial/Aquatic - Water Storage Areas (over 8ha) suitable breeding
Artificial/Terrestrial Arable Land suitable non-breeding
Artificial/Terrestrial Pastureland suitable breeding
Artificial/Terrestrial Urban Areas suitable non-breeding
Marine Coastal/Supratidal Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands major breeding
Marine Coastal/Supratidal Sea Cliffs and Rocky Offshore Islands suitable non-breeding
Marine Intertidal Rocky Shoreline suitable non-breeding
Marine Intertidal Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc major breeding
Marine Intertidal Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc suitable non-breeding
Marine Intertidal Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches suitable non-breeding
Marine Neritic Estuaries suitable non-breeding
Marine Neritic Macroalgal/Kelp suitable breeding
Marine Neritic Macroalgal/Kelp suitable non-breeding
Marine Neritic Pelagic suitable breeding
Marine Neritic Pelagic suitable non-breeding
Marine Neritic Seagrass (Submerged) suitable breeding
Marine Neritic Seagrass (Submerged) suitable non-breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel suitable breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel suitable non-breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs suitable breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs suitable non-breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Sandy suitable breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Sandy suitable non-breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Sandy-Mud suitable breeding
Marine Neritic Subtidal Sandy-Mud suitable non-breeding
Wetlands (inland) Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands suitable breeding
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) major breeding
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) suitable breeding
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) suitable breeding
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) suitable non-breeding
Altitude   Occasional altitudinal limits  

Threats & impact
Threat (level 1) Threat (level 2) Impact and Stresses
Biological resource use Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Reduced reproductive success
Biological resource use Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Persecution/control Timing Scope Severity Impact
Ongoing Minority (<50%) Negligible declines Low Impact: 4
Stresses
Reduced reproductive success, Species mortality

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/yellow-legged-gull-larus-michahellis on 24/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 24/12/2024.