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first breeding record for Britain was in 1968 and now in excess of 1200
pairs breed. In 1995 a pair was discovered breeding in Co. Antrim and
the following year a pair bred in Co. Wexford. Since then the Irish
population has gradually increased to over 60 pairs. In the autumn there
is an influx of continental birds from Europe for the winter which has
been proven by colour ringing and then a return migration takes place in
late spring. Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds Mediterranean Gull (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus) distribution map Breeding Breeding resident Non breeding - winter SanoAK: Alexander Kürthy, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons |