Larus cachinnans
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
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 |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Caspian Gull sighting in Hortobágy National Park on a given day, based on 346 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 20th most-seen of the 202 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.
January
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Caspian Gull in Hortobágy National Park on a given day, against about 30% in April, the lowest month.
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.
Yes
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Caspian Gull sightings, Hortobágy National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 40%) and Fertő-Hanság National Park (Hungary, about 10%).
Same genus: Larus
The closest relatives of the Caspian Gull that you can see in Hortobágy National Park (genus Larus, Large White-headed Gulls) are Yellow-legged Gull (about 20%) 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 Hortobágy National Park (346 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.
