Mediterranean Gull
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The Mediterranean Gull (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus) is a medium-sized gull that has seen a dramatic range expansion across Europe in recent decades. Once a rarity in the UK, it is now a widespread breeding and wintering species.
Identification Features:
Habitat and Distribution:
Life Cycle and Diet
Identification Features:
- Adult Breeding: Features a jet-black hood (extending further down the nape than the dark brown mask of the Black-headed Gull), a bright scarlet-red bill and legs, and distinct white crescents around the eye.
- Wings: Adults have exceptionally pale grey upperparts and pure white wing-tips, lacking the black markings seen on most other gulls.
- Winter Appearance: The black hood is replaced by a dark "bandit mask" that extends behind the eye.
- Voice: Known for its distinctive, nasal, and slightly whining "yeah" or "ee-ar" call, which is much lower and more melodic than the harsh "laugh" of the Black-headed Gull.
Habitat and Distribution:
- Core Range: Historically centred around the Black Sea and eastern Mediterranean.
- UK Presence: They first nested in the UK in 1968 (Hampshire) and have since spread north and west. You can find more details on their current distribution via the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).
- Environment: They prefer coastal wetlands, lagoons, and saltmarshes for breeding, often nesting within larger colonies of Black-headed Gulls.
Life Cycle and Diet
- Diet: Opportunistic omnivores, eating insects, small fish, worms, and even offal or discarded food scraps.
- Breeding: They typically lay 2–3 creamy-olive eggs in a shallow nest scrape during May.
- Lifespan: The average lifespan is approximately 15 years, with some individuals reaching over 18 years.