| Yellow-legged Gull (Larus cachinnans) |
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The Yellow-legged Gull was often included as a sub-species of the Herring Gull Larus argentatus but DNA evidence shows it to be a species in its own right. In fact, it seems to be more closely related to Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus which probably illustrates that all 3 species had a common ancestor in the "recent" past (the Pleistocene). |
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It largely replaces Herring Gull in Europe outside Scandinavia and the north-west Atlantic seaboard so is largely a Mediterranean bird within Europe. It also breeds across the Caucasus and into southern Siberia. The eastern populations migrate from Mongolia to China and India while most other populations are either sedentary or move only smallish distances. | |
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It looks and acts very like Herring Gull but its yellow legs are the most obvious difference. It also has smaller white spots and more black on the outer primaries (seen at rest in the first photo). Winter plumaged birds have greyish markings on the head as in the first photo. |
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