Yellow-legged Gull - Larus michahellis

(last update: October 08 2013)

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

ORG SITE

michahellis PDF
michahellis rings
atlantis
lusitanius

YLG 1CY May
YLG 1CY June
YLG 1CY July
YLG 1CY August
YLG 1CY September
YLG 1CY October
YLG 1CY November
YLG 1CY December

YLG 2CY January
YLG 2CY February
YLG 2CY March
YLG 2CY April
YLG 2CY May
YLG 2CY June
YLG 2CY July
YLG 2CY August
YLG 2CY September
YLG 2CY October
YLG 2CY November
YLG 2CY December

YLG 3CY January
YLG 3CY February
YLG 3CY March
YLG 3CY April
YLG 3CY May
YLG 3CY June
YLG 3CY July
YLG 3CY August
YLG 3CY September
YLG 3CY October
YLG 3CY November
YLG 3CY December

YLG sub-ad Jan
YLG sub-ad Feb
YLG sub-ad March
YLG sub-ad April
YLG sub-ad May
YLG sub-ad June
YLG sub-ad July
YLG sub-ad Aug
YLG sub-ad Sept
YLG sub-ad Oct
YLG sub-ad Nov
YLG sub-ad Dec

YLG adult January
YLG adult February
YLG adult March
YLG adult April
YLG adult May
YLG adult June
YLG adult July
YLG adult August
YLG adult September
YLG adult October
YLG adult November
YLG adult December

Larus michahellis - adult April

update: Colour rings from Frankfurter colony, Germany.

pictures: Nicolas Hoffmann.

background info here

On the roof of Posthof near Frankfurt Central Station, an interesting colony,interesting both in location and in compostion, developed over the lats few years, and much of this development has been the suject in contributions of HGON - Birdnet. Three new gull species of breeding birds were added to the list of Hesse in recent years: 2008 - the first pair of Herring Gulls started breeding. Since 2009, a Great Black-backed Gull nested successfully with a Yellow-legged Gull, and in fact this is the first evidence of hybridization of both species at all. In 2013, Caspian Gull (or a Caspian Gull hybrid) was recorded here, which also reared two youngs in a mixed breeding with Yellow-legged Gull.

Thanks to the support of the Security Service of the nearby Commerzbank it was possible to enter the neighboring building of Commerzbank and regularly survey the colony. This year, 2013, the post office granted access to the colony for the first time. In cooperation with the State Ornithological Station and the Heligoland Bird Observatory HGON first efforts were made to ring young birds of the Frankfurt colony, attaching colour rings from a larger programme, run by Sönke Martens. Sönke Martens has been studying gulls since 2005, especially migration, distribution and breeding behavior of Herring Gulls in several colonies in northern Germany. The biologist Martin Gottschling, a Helgoland ringer in the Herring Gull colonies, visited the Posthof and supported the local ringing project.

Ringing efforts

On the rooftop, 27 breeding pairs of large gulls have been counted: 19 breeding pairs of Yellow-legged Gulls, 1 pair of Yellow-legged x Great Black-backed Gull, 1 pair of Caspian x Yellow-legged Gull, and 6 pairs of Herring Gulls. In total, 48 young birds were ringed this year, and 38 of these juveniles were attached with color rings. The color rings are yellow with a black four-digit code consisting of two digits , two numbers and a separation point.

The first chicks fledged and as could be expected, they occurred in the neighbourhood of Frankfurt and elsewhere in Hesse. In late summer though, the young birds probably migrated, as most adult birds do.

Observations of these colour ringed large gulls are very welcome, if possible supported by photographes, as the development of various age plumages of individual birds is extremely interesting.

Ring readings can be sent to the Heligoland Bird Observatory: email to ifv.ring@ifv-vogelwarte.de. Local ornithologist Ingo Rösler is interested as well, to keep the Bird Forum in Hesse up to date with info.

Update February 2022:

We have added here some images of ringed birds to illustrate plumage development of hybrids and to show definite plumages (adults).

Yellow-legged Gull michahellis x Great Black-backed Gull marinus hybrid, 1CY - adult, May 2010 - December 2021, Frankfurt, Germany. Several of these hybrids birds were not ringed, but they did turn up in and around the colony after fledging. This webpage illustrates at least two of these birds.	Yellow-legged Gull michahellis x Great Black-backed Gull marinus DEW 3400903 2CY-4CY, December 2011 - October 2013, Frankfurt, Germany.
Yellow-legged Gull michahellis x Great Black-backed Gull marinus H97T 1CY-7CY, 2011-2017, Germany.	Yellow-legged Gull michahellis x Great Black-backed Gull marinus H98T 1CY-5CY, May 2012 - June 2016, Germany & ne. France.
Yellow-legged Gull michahellis x Great Black-backed Gull marinus H8J7 2CY, May - November 2013, Germany & France.	Yellow-legged Gull michahellis x Great Black-backed Gull marinus HJ59 1CY-5CY, December 2013 - January 2017, Frankfurt, Germany. Picture: Ingo Rösler.
Yellow-legged Gull michahellis x Great Black-backed Gull marinus hybrid HV359 1CY, July 2016, Frankfurt, Germany. Picture: Ingo Rösler. y-HV359 is a backcross Yellow-legged Gull michahellis X hybrid Yellow-legged Gull michahellis x Great Black-backed Gull marinus.