Gulls and terns · Shorebirds
Slender-billed Gull
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Chroicocephalus genei
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How to recognize it
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37–40 cm
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White head, grey back and wings
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Slim red bill and red legs
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Summer underparts with a faint pink wash
About the species
Slender-billed Gull keeps to coasts, lagoons, estuaries, and bays, and it is rarely seen far from land. It looks like a gull with a pale body, white head, and a long red bill, with a faint pink wash on the breast in summer.
It nests in colonies on the ground, often with nests only a short distance apart. Outside the breeding season it gathers in groups at feeding places and evening roosts, and its call is a gull-like cry.
It feeds mostly on small fish, but also takes insects and marine invertebrates. In many areas it moves south for winter, reaching North Africa and India, while a few stay farther west in Europe.
Where to find
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Along canal-like inlets, estuaries and salty bay edges — especially over shallow water, where Slender-billed Gull gathers in small groups on mudflats.
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At lagoon rims, pond basins and salt-lake shores — look for it walking on wet clay and picking at the ground with quick, probing jabs.
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On open gravel spits and bare waterfront lots — most noticeable while feeding on the ground close to water and away from heavy foot traffic.
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In the evening on quiet shore islands and sheltered banks — it shows up as tight flocks that settle on the flats and linger for a while.
