YELLOW LEGGED GULL (Larus michahellis subspecies L. m. atlantis) adult at Los Barrios Dump, Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain

 

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The Yellow Legged Gull (Larus michahellis) is of the family Laridae which is in the genus Larus. Up until recently it was considered as a race of Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) but has now been given full species status. Post breeding populations disperse north and east. From July onward it occurs in good numbers in southern Britain but is an uncommon and scarce species in Ireland.

 

There are two subspecies recognised:

• Larus michahellis michahellis - breeds in parts of western and southern Europe, as well as the Mediterranean Basin.  

• Larus michahellis atlantis - known as Atlantic Gull, breeds on the Atlantic coasts of France, Iberia, Morocco, Canary Islands, Madeira and the Azores where a dark headed form occurs.

 Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

 

Yellow Legged Gull (Larus michahellis) distribution map

 

  Year round resident         Breeding        Non breeding-winter

 

Cephas, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons