Larus cachinnans
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Caspian Gull sighting in Fertő-Hanság National Park on a given day, based on 74 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 134th most-seen of the 207 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–July and September–March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Caspian Gull in Fertő-Hanság National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April and August, the lowest months.
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.
3rd of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Caspian Gull sightings, Fertő-Hanság National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Hortobágy National Park (Hungary, about 50%) and Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 40%).
Same genus: Larus
The closest relatives of the Caspian Gull that you can see in Fertő-Hanság National Park (genus Larus, Large White-headed Gulls) are Yellow-legged Gull (about 30%) and Common Gull (about 10%), 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 Fertő-Hanság National Park (74 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
