Gulls and terns · Shorebirds
Caspian Gull
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Larus cachinnans
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Voice
Call
How to recognize it
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Body length 56–68 cm
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Sloping forehead, long slender bill, long legs and neck
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Adult plumage: white, ash-grey back, black outer wing feathers with white tips
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First-winter plumage: pale head with dark nape streaks, two pale lines across the wing
About the species
The Caspian Gull has a mostly white head and body, with an ash-gray back and wings that are slightly darker than a Herring Gull’s. Its outer wing feathers are black with large white tips, and its long, slender bill slopes down from a low forehead. The legs are often pale yellowish.
Its call is a harsh laugh, rising from low notes to higher ones before it cuts off. Gulls hunt fish together and squabble as they feed; one alarm call can set a whole colony calling and lifting into the air.
It breeds on low, flat ground beside water, from sea coasts and islands to steppe lakes and river mouths. Fish is a main food, alongside insects, worms and small mammals. Some migrate toward the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, while others spread north and west into Europe.
Where to find
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On sandy sea beaches, look for Caspian Gulls at the water's edge, picking up washed-up molluscs.
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At large-river estuaries during nesting, listen for the sharp laughter of a large colony; an alarm call can send it into the air.
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During the breeding season, watch across the steppe for long flights in search of rodents.
