Yellow-legged gull

    Larus michahellis

Castilian: Gaviota patiamarilla

Catalan: Gavià argentat

Gallego: Gaivota patiamarela

Euskera: Kaio hankahoria

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Charadriiformes

Family: Laridae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

This species does not belong to any protection category.

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THREATS

It is not a threatened species; in fact, it negatively affects other species and vegetation on cliffs, and the drinkability of water. It also causes deterioration in buildings, noise and dirtiness, among other things.

Length / size: 55-67 cm / 130-158 cm

Identification: Large gull with grey plumage on its back, white underparts and yellow legs.

Song: It makes a long and repetitive "ag-ag-ag" alarm call; it call consists of a brief, deep and prolonged "auua".

Diet: Its diet includes everything from plant matter to fish, small mammals, crustaceans, mollusks, and even carrion. Its most important food sources are landfills and wastes produced by trawlers.

Reproduction: It begins between March and April. Both build the nest near some scrubland or in the cracks of a rock, in a depression in the land which they cover with algae, grass and other plant scraps. Both are in charge of incubation, although the female does this more, and of caring for the chicks, which are covered with a cryptic down and move about the nest shortly after being born.

HABITAT

When breeding it prefers cliffs and islands near the coast, but in general it prefers beaches, marshes or salt marshes. It is also common near coastal population centres.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: The michahellis subspecies is distributed throughout the Mediterranean coast, with colonies recently being formed in Gibraltar and the Gulf of Cádiz. It has also moved inland, being concentrated in specific places such as the Ebro dam, some wetlands in Orense and Toledo, and riverways in the interior of Catalonia.

In Castile and León: In winter, it is distributed in large reservoirs, such as the Ricobayo (Zamora), Santa Teresa (Salamanca), Ebro (where it also breeds), Aguilar (Palencia) and Rosarito (Ávila).

Movements and migrations: It makes movements of different lengths. In some cases, specimens have followed large flowing bodies of water to move further inland.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of no more than 100000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: