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Common Gull
Larus canus
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusLarus (Large White-headed Gulls)
- SpeciesLarus canus (Common Gull)
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
85 Verified sightings at Birmingham
5,927 In all 12 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Common Gull
The common gull (Larus canus) is a gull that breeds in cool temperate regions of the Palearctic from Iceland and Scotland east to Kamchatka in the Russian Far East. Most common gulls migrate further south in winter, reaching the Mediterranean Sea, the southern Caspian Sea, and the seas around China and Japan; northwest European populations are at least partly resident. The closely related short-billed gull was formerly often included in this species, which was then sometimes known collectively as "mew gull".
The common gull was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the current binomial name Larus canus. Linnaeus specified the type locality as Europe but this is now restricted to Sweden. The genus name is a Latin word for a seabird, probably a gull. The specific epithet canus is also Latin and means "grey". The name "common gull" was coined by Thomas Pennant in 1768 because he considered it the most numerous of its genus. John Ray earlier used the name common sea-mall.
There are many old British regional names for this species, typically variations on maa, mar, and mew. The original English... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Common Gull in Birmingham
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 5 | Vatnajokull National Park | 🇮🇸 Iceland | |
| 6 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 7 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 8 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 9 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 10 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 11 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 12 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Cities Where Found
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 2 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Stockholm | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 4 | Nizhny Novgorod | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 5 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 6 | Warsaw | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 7 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 8 | Moscow | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 9 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 10 | Hamburg | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zhuhai Chimelong Ocean Kingdom | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 2 | Chimelong Spaceship | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Royev Ruchey Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 4 | Ecomare | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
Closest Relatives at Birmingham
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Common Gull in Birmingham?
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Gull sighting in Birmingham on a given day, based on 85 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 79th most-seen of the 119 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Common Gull in Birmingham?
January
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Gull in Birmingham on a given day, against under 5% in March to October, the lowest months.
What time of day is best to see a Common Gull?
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Gull sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Birmingham the best place to see a Common Gull?
27th of 51
Of the 51 cities where we can rate Common Gull sightings, Birmingham ranks 27th at under 5%. The best odds are in Helsinki (Finland, about 60%), Liverpool (United Kingdom, about 50%) and Stockholm (Sweden, about 50%).
Which relatives of the Common Gull live in Birmingham?
Same genus: Larus
The closest relatives of the Common Gull that you can see in Birmingham (genus Larus, Large White-headed Gulls) are Lesser Black-backed Gull (about 60%) and European Herring Gull (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the Common Gull sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Gull is recorded against all the birds logged in Birmingham (85 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
