- Larus canus
Identification
Adult Common Gulls are grey above and white below. Their legs are greenish. They have black wing-tips with large white "mirrors", particularly in American birds. Young birds have scaly black-brown upperparts and a neat wing pattern. They take three years to reach maturity. The call is a high-pitched "laughing" cry
Distribution
The Common Gull, Larus canus is a medium-sized gull which breeds in the northwest of North America (where it is called Mew Gull), Europe and Asia. It migrates further south in winter.
Taxonomy
to note that the once-lumped subspecies brachyrhynchus (the new world form) has been split from Larus canus (retaining the old world forms). The common name Mew Gull (or Short-billed Gull) is now applied to L. brachyrhynchus.
Habitat
This species breeds colonially near water or in marshes, making a lined nest on the ground or in a tree.
Behaviour
Like most Larus gulls, they are omnivores and will scavenge as well as hunt small prey.
Bird Song
<flashmp3>Larus canus (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
