Yellow-legged Gull - Larus michahellis

(last update: October 08 2013)

Coordinators:
Delfín González
Gabriel Martín
Antonio Gutierrez
Amir Ben Dov
Mars Muusse

Larus michahellis - 4CY / sub-adult April

This website deals with the Yellow-legged Gull taxon michahellis, which is a common migrant from July to December in NW Europe. After extensive expansion of the breeding population during the last three decades, it nowadays can be found breeding in Belgium, the Netherlands and Britain in mixed couples with both Herring Gull (argenteus) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (graellsii). There are subtle differences between the populations from the Mediterranean, Atlantic coast of Portugal and Morocco and from the islands in the Atlantic. Most pronounced differences can be found in the taxon atlantis, now regarded as full species by some authors and birds along the Atlantic coast of the Iberian peninsular: lusitanius. Both atlantis and lusitanius are treated in their own sections on this website.

adult michahellis in April. (61415 bytes)Yellow-legged Gull michahellis U5BA 1CY & 4CY, June 2011 & April 20 2014, Tel Aviv & Ramat Gan Safari, Israel. Picture: Amir Ben Dov.
adult michahellis in April. (61415 bytes)Yellow-legged Gull michahellis U6DJ 1CY & 4CY, May 30 2011 & April 20 2014, Ramat Gan Safari, Israel. Picture: Amir Ben Dov.
2cy michahellis in August, ringed in Switzerland.Yellow-legged Gull michahellis 4CY S9UT April 19 2011, Baška, Krk island, Croatia. Picture: Wolfgang Schweighofer.
2cy michahellis in August, ringed in Switzerland.Yellow-legged Gull michahellis 4CY S9YX April 18-21 2011, Baška, Krk island, Croatia. Picture: Wolfgang Schweighofer.
2cy michahellis in August, ringed in Switzerland.Yellow-legged Gull michahellis 4CY PA19816 April 18 2011, Baška, Krk island, Croatia. Picture: Wolfgang Schweighofer.
2cy michahellis in August, ringed in Switzerland.Yellow-legged Gull michahellis 4CY 451H April 20 2011, Baška, Krk island, Croatia. Picture: Wolfgang Schweighofer.
adult michahellis in July. (62792 bytes)Yellow-legged Gull michahellis sub-adult, April 16 2013, Tel Aviv - University Zool. Garden, Israel. Picture: Amir Ben Dov.
adult michahellis in July. (62792 bytes)Yellow-legged Gull michahellis 4CY, April 11 2012, Gibraltar, UK. Photo: Maris Pukitis.
2cy michahellis in August, ringed in Switzerland.Yellow-legged Gull michahellis 4CY, April 17 2009, Italy. Picture: Francesca Campana.