Chroicocephalus hartlaubii
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
Hartlaub's gull (Chroicocephalus hartlaubii) is a small gull in the genus Chroicocephalus. It was formerly (as with other related gulls) placed in the genus Larus until genetic research demonstrated that the old broad view of that genus was paraphyletic.
The species' name commemorates the German physician and zoologist, Gustav Hartlaub. In the past, it was also sometimes known as "king gull". Hartlaub's gull is 37–39 cm in length, with a wingspan of 89–92 cm and a weight of 235–340 g. It is a mainly white gull with a grey back and upperwings, black wingtips with conspicuous white "mirrors", and a dark red bill and legs. When breeding it has a very faint lavender grey hood, but otherwise... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 5 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Hartlaub's Gull sighting in West Coast National Park on a given day, based on 1,498 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 192 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and December
In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Hartlaub's Gull in West Coast National Park on a given day, against about 70% in April and July, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hartlaub's 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.
Yes
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Hartlaub's Gull sightings, West Coast National Park has the highest daily chance: about 80%. Next come Table Mountain National Park (South Africa, about 40%) and De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hartlaub's Gull is recorded against all the birds logged in West Coast National Park (1,498 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.
