Larus cachinnans
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The Caspian gull (Larus cachinnans) is a large gull and a member of the herring and lesser black-backed gull complex. The scientific name is from Latin. Larus appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird, and cachinnans means 'laughing', from cachinnare 'to laugh'.
It is a large gull at 56–68 cm (22–27 in) long, with a 137 to 155 cm (54 to 61 in) wingspan and a body mass of 680–1,590 g (1.50–3.51 lb). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 38.5 to 48 cm (15.2 to 18.9 in), the bill is 4.6 to 6.4 cm (1.8 to 2.5 in) and the tarsus is 5.8 to 7.7 cm (2.3 to 3.0 in). The Caspian gull has a long, slender bill, accentuated by the sloping forehead. The legs, wings, and neck are longer than those of the herring gull and yellow-legged gull. The eye is small and often dark, and the legs vary from pale pink to a pale yellowish colour. The back and wings are a slightly darker shade of grey than the herring gull, but slightly paler than the yellow-legged gull. The outermost primary feather has a large white tip and a white tongue running up the inner web.
First-winter birds have a pale head with dark streaking on the back of the neck. The underparts are pale... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 4 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 5 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 6 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kharkiv Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 2 | Kharkiv Dolphinarium | 🇺🇦 Ukraine |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Caspian Gull sighting in Helsinki on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 211th most-seen of the 233 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Caspian Gull in Helsinki on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Caspian 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.
32nd of 35
Of the 35 cities where we can rate Caspian Gull sightings, Helsinki ranks 32nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Kyiv (Ukraine, about 40%), Kharkiv (Ukraine, about 30%) and Prague (Czechia, about 20%).
Same genus: Larus
The closest relatives of the Caspian Gull that you can see in Helsinki (genus Larus, Large White-headed Gulls) are Common Gull (about 60%), European Herring Gull (about 50%) and Great Black-backed Gull (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Caspian Gull is recorded against all the birds logged in Helsinki (23 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.
