Slender-billed Gull

Slender-billed Gull

Chroicocephalus genei

Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
at Manama

In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%

85 Verified sightings at Manama
925 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Slender-billed Gull

The slender-billed gull (Chroicocephalus genei) is a mid-sized gull which breeds very locally around the Mediterranean and the north of the western Indian Ocean (e.g. Pakistan) on islands and coastal lagoons. Most of the population is somewhat migratory, wintering further south to as far as North Africa and India. A few birds have wandered to western Europe. A vagrant individual was reportedly seen on Antigua, April 24, 1976 (AOU, 2000).

The genus name Chroicocephalus is from Ancient Greek khroizo, "to colour", and kephale, "head". The specific genei commemorates Italian naturalist Giuseppe Gené. This species is 37 to 40 cm (14.6 to 15.7 in) long with a 90 to 102 cm (35.4 to 40.2 in) wingspan. It is therefore slightly larger than the black-headed gull, which it resembles, although it does not have a black hood in summer. It has a pale grey body, white head and breast and black tips to the primary wing feathers. The head and dark red bill have an elongated tapering appearance, and this bird also appears long-necked. The legs are dark red, and the iris is yellow. In summer, the breast has a faint pink colouration. This bird takes two years to reach maturity, as is... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:28

Italy · 2025

© Maurizio Sighele (maudoc) · XC993068 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Begging call0:20

Oman · 2023

© Alain Malengreau · XC864521 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call0:05

Spain · 2023

© Marcel Gil Velasco · XC787743 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
~20%
2 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
3 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
4 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kuwait City 🇰🇼 Kuwait
~60%
2 Manama 🇧🇭 Bahrain
~60%
3 Karachi 🇵🇰 Pakistan
~40%
4 Dammam 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
~20%
5 Dakar 🇸🇳 Senegal
~20%
6 Tunis 🇹🇳 Tunisia
~10%
7 Dubai 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
~10%
8 Izmir 🇹🇷 Turkey
~10%
9 Jeddah 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
~10%
10 Baku 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Slender-billed Gull in Manama?

Likely

About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Slender-billed Gull sighting in Manama on a given day, based on 85 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 5th most-seen of the 85 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Slender-billed Gull in Manama?

December and January

In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Slender-billed Gull in Manama on a given day, against about 30% in August, the lowest month. July has too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Slender-billed Gull?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Slender-billed 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 Manama the best place to see a Slender-billed Gull?

Among the best

Of the 26 cities where we can rate Slender-billed Gull sightings, Manama ranks 2nd at about 60%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Kuwait City (Kuwait, about 60%).

Where does the Slender-billed Gull sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Slender-billed Gull is recorded against all the birds logged in Manama (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.

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