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Grey-hooded Gull
Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusChroicocephalus (Masked Gulls and allies)
- SpeciesChroicocephalus cirrocephalus (Grey-hooded Gull)
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
64 Verified sightings at Liwonde National Park From 2019 to 2026
3,285 In all 26 parks
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Grey-hooded Gull
The grey-headed gull (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus), also known as the grey-hooded gull, is a small species of gull which breeds patchily in South America and Africa south of the Sahara. It is not truly migratory, but is dispersive, becoming more widespread in winter. This species has occurred as a rare vagrant to the United States, Italy, and Spain. As is the case with many gulls, it had traditionally been placed in the genus Larus. Recent evidence suggests the South American and African populations may represent two separate cryptic species.
The grey-headed gull is slightly larger than the black-headed gull at 42 cm length. The summer adult has a pale grey head, a grey body, slightly darker in tone than in black-headed gull, and red bill and legs. The black tips to the primary wing feathers have conspicuous white "mirrors". The underwing is dark grey with black wingtips. The grey hood is lost in winter, leaving just two dark smudges around and behind the eye. The eye is dark in immatures, but has a white iris in adults. The sexes are similar. It takes two years to reach maturity; first year birds have a black terminal tail band, and more dark areas in the wings... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Grey-hooded Gull in Liwonde National Park
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
Cities Where Found
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maputo | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 2 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Lima | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 4 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia | |
| 5 | Rosario | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 6 | Vitória | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Dakar | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 8 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 10 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tierpark Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Temaikén | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Faunia | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Closest Relatives at Liwonde National Park
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Grey-hooded Gull in Liwonde National Park?
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Grey-hooded Gull sighting in Liwonde National Park on a given day, based on 64 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 85th most-seen of the 267 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Grey-hooded Gull in Liwonde National Park?
October
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Grey-hooded Gull in Liwonde National Park on a given day, against about 10% in March, May, August and December, the lowest months. That is one of Liwonde National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 300 mm in January.
What time of day is best to see a Grey-hooded Gull?
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Grey-hooded Gull sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Liwonde National Park the best place to see a Grey-hooded Gull?
3rd of 26
Of the 26 parks where we can rate Grey-hooded Gull sightings, Liwonde National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Lake Nakuru National Park (Kenya, about 60%) and iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Which relatives of the Grey-hooded Gull live in Liwonde National Park?
Same family: Laridae
The closest relatives of the Grey-hooded Gull that you can see in Liwonde National Park (family Laridae, Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers) are Gull-billed Tern (about 20%), African Skimmer (about 10%) and White-winged Tern (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the Grey-hooded Gull sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Grey-hooded Gull is recorded against all the birds logged in Liwonde National Park (64 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.
