Larus canus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

View Printer Friendly

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	CHARADRIIFORMES	LARIDAE

Scientific Name:

Larus canus

Species Authority:

Linnaeus, 1758

Common Name/s:

English	–	Common Gull, Mew Gull
French	–	Goéland cendré

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2009

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Bird, J., Butchart, S.

Justification:
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend is not known, but the population is not believed to be decreasing sufficiently rapidly to approach the thresholds under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

History:

2008	–	Least Concern
2004	–	Least Concern

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	The Mew Gull breeds in northern Europe, northern Asia and north-west North America. Most populations, except those in Iceland, around the North and Baltic Sea, and some off the coast of Canada migrate south. This expands its range to include the Pacific coast of North America down to Baja California (Mexico), the Pacific coast of Asia down to northern Vietnam, the Atlantic coasts of France and Portgual, the southern and eastern coasts of the Mediterranean, the entire coasts of the Black Sea and Persian Gulf, and the south coast of the Caspian Sea¹.
Countries:	Native: Albania; Algeria; Austria; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Canada; China; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Egypt; Estonia; Faroe Islands; Finland; France; Georgia; Germany; Gibraltar; Greece; Hungary; Iceland; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Japan; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Latvia; Lebanon; Lithuania; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Mexico; Moldova; Mongolia; Montenegro; Netherlands; Norway; Palestinian Territory, Occupied; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Svalbard and Jan Mayen; Sweden; Switzerland; Syrian Arab Republic; Tajikistan; Tunisia; Turkey; Ukraine; United Kingdom; United States; Viet Nam Vagrant: Afghanistan; Bahrain; Bhutan; Gambia; Greenland; Hong Kong; India; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Liechtenstein; Malta; Mauritania; Morocco; Myanmar; Nepal; Oman; Pakistan; Saint Pierre and Miquelon; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; United Arab Emirates Present - origin uncertain: Palau; Taiwan, Province of China
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Total regarded as a minimum by Wetlands International (2006).

Population:

Total regarded as a minimum by Wetlands International (2006).

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Behaviour This species is fully migratory¹. It breeds from May onwards in solitary pairs or in single- and mixed-species colonies of up to 300 pairs^{1, 3} or more (e.g. 1,000 pairs in Baltic region)⁴. Outside of the breeding season the species remains gregarious, foraging in flocks of up to one hundred or more individuals during the winter, flock sizes depending upon the habitat and conditions⁴. Habitat Breeding The species breeds along the coast^{1, 2, 4} and inland^{1, 2, 3, 4} in a variety of sites not necessarily close to wetlands¹. On the coast it nests on grassy and rocky cliff-ledges^{1, 4}, grassy slopes^{2, 4}, inshore rocky islets, islands and stacks^{1, 2, 4}, and on sand and shingle beaches, banks and dunes^{1, 4} amongst tide-wrack or flood debris⁴. Inland the species nests on small islands in freshwater and saline lakes³, shingle bars or small islets in streams or rivers², islets, artificial structures and shores of artificial waterbodies with short, sparse vegetation⁶, and on bogs^{1, 4}, marshes¹, meadows¹ and grass or heather moorland near small pools^{2, 4} or lakes⁴. After the young fledge the species often disperses to coasts, tidal estuaries, agricultural land and reservoirs^{1, 4}. Non-breeding Outside of the breeding season it occupies similar habitats to when it is breeding, although it may occur more frequently along the coast during this period⁴ on estuaries with low salinities, sandy beaches and estuarine mudflats⁷. Diet Its diet consists of earthworms, insects, aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates¹ (e.g. planktonic crustaceans¹, crayfish and molluscs³) and small fish¹. During the spring the species will also take agricultural grain¹ and often scavanges⁷. Breeding site The nest is a shallow cup of vegetation placed on grass, rock, sand, shingle, earth or floating and marshy vegetation¹ in a variety of coastal and inland locations^{1, 2, 3, 4}. The species may also nest off the ground on artificial structures, in nest-boxes and in trees^{1, 2}. Management information The species may benefit from the removal of introduced predators such as American mink Neovison vison from small breeding islands⁵, and has been known to nest on artificial rafts intended to encourage other species (e.g. Common Tern Sterna hirundo) to breed⁷.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

Behaviour This species is fully migratory¹. It breeds from May onwards in solitary pairs or in single- and mixed-species colonies of up to 300 pairs^{1, 3} or more (e.g. 1,000 pairs in Baltic region)⁴. Outside of the breeding season the species remains gregarious, foraging in flocks of up to one hundred or more individuals during the winter, flock sizes depending upon the habitat and conditions⁴. Habitat Breeding The species breeds along the coast^{1, 2, 4} and inland^{1, 2, 3, 4} in a variety of sites not necessarily close to wetlands¹. On the coast it nests on grassy and rocky cliff-ledges^{1, 4}, grassy slopes^{2, 4}, inshore rocky islets, islands and stacks^{1, 2, 4}, and on sand and shingle beaches, banks and dunes^{1, 4} amongst tide-wrack or flood debris⁴. Inland the species nests on small islands in freshwater and saline lakes³, shingle bars or small islets in streams or rivers², islets, artificial structures and shores of artificial waterbodies with short, sparse vegetation⁶, and on bogs^{1, 4}, marshes¹, meadows¹ and grass or heather moorland near small pools^{2, 4} or lakes⁴. After the young fledge the species often disperses to coasts, tidal estuaries, agricultural land and reservoirs^{1, 4}. Non-breeding Outside of the breeding season it occupies similar habitats to when it is breeding, although it may occur more frequently along the coast during this period⁴ on estuaries with low salinities, sandy beaches and estuarine mudflats⁷. Diet Its diet consists of earthworms, insects, aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates¹ (e.g. planktonic crustaceans¹, crayfish and molluscs³) and small fish¹. During the spring the species will also take agricultural grain¹ and often scavanges⁷. Breeding site The nest is a shallow cup of vegetation placed on grass, rock, sand, shingle, earth or floating and marshy vegetation¹ in a variety of coastal and inland locations^{1, 2, 3, 4}. The species may also nest off the ground on artificial structures, in nest-boxes and in trees^{1, 2}. Management information The species may benefit from the removal of introduced predators such as American mink Neovison vison from small breeding islands⁵, and has been known to nest on artificial rafts intended to encourage other species (e.g. Common Tern Sterna hirundo) to breed⁷.

Systems:

Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Breeding In north and west Europe the species is threatened at breeding colonies by predation from introduced ground predators such as American mink Neovison vison⁷, and by disturbance from tourism, angling and research activities during the laying period⁷. Inland populations breeding in colonies near rivers are also vulnerable to mass outbreaks of black flies (Simuliidae)⁷. The species is also threatened by the transformation and loss of its breeding habitats through land reclamation, drainage, afforestation (e.g. with conifers) and dam construction⁷. Non-breeding In its wintering range the species is potentially threatened by the activities of fisheries (e.g. reductions in fishing effort, increases in net mesh sizes and exploitation of formerly non-commercial fish species) and their effects on competition for prey resources⁷. Other threats to wintering sites include land reclamation and drainage⁷. Utilisation Egg collecting from in colonies occurs in Germany, Scotland, the Russian Federation and Poland, and the species is shot in the Russian Federation⁷.

Major Threat(s):

Breeding In north and west Europe the species is threatened at breeding colonies by predation from introduced ground predators such as American mink Neovison vison⁷, and by disturbance from tourism, angling and research activities during the laying period⁷. Inland populations breeding in colonies near rivers are also vulnerable to mass outbreaks of black flies (Simuliidae)⁷. The species is also threatened by the transformation and loss of its breeding habitats through land reclamation, drainage, afforestation (e.g. with conifers) and dam construction⁷. Non-breeding In its wintering range the species is potentially threatened by the activities of fisheries (e.g. reductions in fishing effort, increases in net mesh sizes and exploitation of formerly non-commercial fish species) and their effects on competition for prey resources⁷. Other threats to wintering sites include land reclamation and drainage⁷. Utilisation Egg collecting from in colonies occurs in Germany, Scotland, the Russian Federation and Poland, and the species is shot in the Russian Federation⁷.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2009. Larus canus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 07 February 2012.
Disclaimer:	To make use of this information, please check the <Terms of Use>.
Feedback:	If you see any errors or have any questions or suggestions on what is shown on this page, please fill in the feedback form so that we can correct or extend the information provided