Bird name:

Yellow-legged Gull

Larus cachinnans

Order

CHARADRIIFORMES

Family

Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)

Code 4

YLGU

Code 6

LARCAC

ITIS

554270

Breeding Location:

Rocky cliffs, Islands, sandy or rocky

Breeding Type:

Colonial

Breeding Population:

Abundant on breeding grounds

Egg Color:

Buff or olive with brown, black or olive marks

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

28 - 30

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Bits of debris, grasses, and feathers.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Yellow-legged Gull: Large gull with medium gray upperparts and red spot on bright yellow bill; legs and feet are yellow. Sexes are similar. Winter adult has pale gray streaking on head. Juvenile is mostly brown with black bill and pale pink legs and feet. 1st winter shows white on breast, chin and forehead. All plumages are difficult to distinguish from the very similar Herring and Lesser Black-backed gulls.

Range and Habitat

Yellow-legged Gull: A European and Asian gull that very rarely wanders to Newfoundland or the north Atlantic Coast. Mostly found near the ocean or large bodies of water.

Breeding and Nesting

Yellow-legged Gull: Monogamous and colonial. Nest built by both sexes on ground or on cliff ledges; lined with debris, grasses, and feathers. Three eggs, buff or olive and marked with brown, black, or olive, incubated 28 to 30 days by both adults. Young stay in nest 35 to 45 days; one brood per year.

Foraging and Feeding

Yellow-legged Gull: Usually found near ocean or shorelines, feeding on almost anything it can eat. May rob food from other seabirds.

Vocalization

Yellow-legged Gull: Loud laugh.

Similar Species

Yellow-legged Gull: Herring Gull has pink legs and longer bill.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Chin

The area of the face just below the bill.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America