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A photo of a Common Gull (Larus canus)
Common Gull

Common Gull

Larus canus

The common gull or sea mew (Larus canus) is a medium-sized gull that breeds in the Palearctic, northern Europe. Adult common gulls are 40–46 cm (16–18 in) long, noticeably smaller than the herring gull and slightly smaller than the ring-billed gull. It is further distinguished from the ring-billed gull by its shorter, more tapered bill, which is a more greenish shade of yellow and is unmarked during the breeding season. The body is grey above and white below. The legs are yellow in breeding season, becoming duller in the winter. In winter, the head is streaked grey and the bill often has a poorly defined blackish band near the tip, which is sometimes sufficiently obvious to cause confusion with ring-billed gull. They have black wingtips with large white "mirrors" on the outer primaries p9 and p10, which are smaller than those in the short-billed gull. Young birds have scaly black-brown upperparts and a neat wing pattern, and pink legs which become greyish in the second year before tuning yellow. By the first winter, the head and belly are white, with fine streaks and greyish feathers grow on the saddle. They take three years (up to four in the Kamchatka subspecies) to reach maturity. The call is a high-pitched "laughing" cry.
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Common Gulls on Birda

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David McGhie
Sunday 01 Oct 2023 - 7:26pm
United Kingdom
A map showing the sighting location
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Ellie Wheeler
Sunday 01 Oct 2023 - 4:38pm
United Kingdom
A map showing the sighting location
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Daniel Newton
Sunday 01 Oct 2023 - 3:36pm
United Kingdom
A map showing the sighting location
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Robbie Keyworth
Sunday 01 Oct 2023 - 1:16pm
United Kingdom
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