Tuesday 21 May
In the News: First crane egg in the western UK in four centuries
White-eyed gull (Larus leucophthalmus)
NEARTHREATENED
What’s the World’s Favourite Species?
Find out here.White-eyed gull fact file
- Description
- Biology
- Range
- Habitat
- Status
- Threats
- Conservation
- Find out more
- Glossary
- References
- Print factsheet
White-eyed gull description
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Charadriiformes |
| Family | Laridae |
| Genus | Larus (1) |
This gull species can be identified by its black head and upper breast, dark back and dark grey wings. The brown eyes are surrounded by a red ring and have a white crescent both above and beneath them. The bill is slender, red, and droops slightly to the black tip. The legs are bright yellow. When juvenile, this species has a paler head, streaked neck, and spotted throat (2).
- French
- Goéland à iris blanc.
More »
Top
Related species
White-eyed gull biology
This species forms loose colonies of between six and several hundred pairs, but usually around 25 pairs. They nest on bare rock and sand, lining a shallow scrape with seaweed and debris. Laying two to three eggs in July, the chicks of the white-eyed gull hatch by August. They are greyish brown above with dark spots and streaks below. Details of incubation and fledging periods have not yet been recorded (2).
The white-eyed gull consumes mainly fish, but will also take crabs, molluscs and worms and even some fruits. It plunge-dives at the water surface, far out to sea, and may also scavenge in harbours. It has been known to gather into foraging flocks of hundreds or even thousands of individuals (2).
TopWhite-eyed gull range
Found in the Red Sea from the Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Aqaba to the Gulf of Aden (2), the white-eyed gull breeds in Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Somalia. The wintering birds migrate within the breeding range (4).
More »
Species with a similar range
See this species on Google Earth.
TopWhite-eyed gull habitat
The white-eyed gull breeds on inshore islands on bare rock and sand flats. It ranges far out to sea in the non-breeding season and when feeding during breeding season (2).
More »
Top
Species found in a similar habitat
White-eyed gull status
The white-eyed gull is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List 2004 (1) and is listed on Appendices I and II of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS or Bonn Convention) (3).
White-eyed gull threats
This species is thought to be threatened by collection of eggs and chicks as well as disturbance. The tourism industry has decreased the area available to breeding gulls and has resulted in lower reproductive success. Oil spills and exploration for oil sources also threaten this species (2).
TopWhite-eyed gull conservation
The true status of the species is very poorly known and there is no targeted conservation action (2).
|
View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. |
Find out more
For further information on this species see Del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (1992) Handbook of the Birds of the World Volume 3 Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
For more information on this and other bird species please see:
- BirdLife International:
http://www.birdlife.org
Authentication
This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact: arkive@wildscreen.org.ukTopReferences
- IUCN Red List (June, 2005)
http://www.redlist.org - Sargatal, J., Elliott, A. and Del Hoyo, J. (1992) Handbook of the Birds of the World Volume 3 Hoatzin to Auks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
- CMS (June, 2005)
http://www.cms.int - BirdLife International (June, 2005)
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/search/species_search.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=3214&m=0
More »Related species
Sign up to our newsletter
Get the latest wild news direct to your inbox.
Get involved
ARKive relies on its media donors to donate photos and videos. Can you help? There are plenty of other ways you can get involved too!
X
Close
Close
Image credit
White-eyed gull at nest
© Yossi Eshbol / www.flpa-images.co.uk
FLPA - images of nature
Pages Green House
Wetheringsett
Stowmarket
Suffolk IP14 5QA
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0) 1728 861 113
Fax: +44 (0) 1728 860 222
pictures@flpa-images.co.uk
http://www.flpa-images.co.uk
X
Close
Close
Link to this photo
Embed this ARKive thumbnail link by copying and pasting the code below.
Terms of Use - The displayed thumbnail may be used as a link from your website to ARKive's online content for private, scientific, conservation or educational purposes only. It may NOT be used within Apps.
Read more about
X
Close
Close
MyARKive
MyARKive offers the scrapbook feature to signed-up members, allowing you to organize your favourite ARKive images and videos and share them with friends.
X
Close
Close
Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials
Copyright in this website and materials contained on this website (Material) belongs to Wildscreen or its licensors.
Visitors to this website (End Users) are entitled to:
- view the contents of, and Material on, the website;
- download and retain copies of the Material on their personal systems in digital form in low resolution for their own personal use;
- teachers, lecturers and students may incorporate the Material in their educational material (including, but not limited to, their lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and projects) in hard copy and digital format for use within a registered educational establishment, provided that the integrity of the Material is maintained and that copyright ownership and authorship is appropriately acknowledged by the End User.
End Users shall not copy or otherwise extract, alter or manipulate Material other than as permitted in these Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials.
Additional use of flagged material
Green flagged material 
Certain Material on this website (Licence 4 Material) displays a green flag next to the Material and is available for not-for-profit conservation or educational use. This material may be used by End Users, who are individuals or organisations that are in our opinion not-for-profit, for their not-for-profit conservation or not-for-profit educational purposes. Low resolution, watermarked images may be copied from this website by such End Users for such purposes. If you require high resolution or non-watermarked versions of the Material, please contact Wildscreen with details of your proposed use.
Creative commons material
Certain Material on this website has been licensed to Wildscreen under a Creative Commons Licence. These images are clearly marked with the Creative Commons buttons and may be used by End Users only in the way allowed by the specific Creative Commons Licence under which they have been submitted. Please see http://creativecommons.org for details.
Any other use
Please contact the copyright owners directly (copyright and contact details are shown for each media item) to negotiate terms and conditions for any use of Material other than those expressly permitted above. Please note that many of the contributors to ARKive are commercial operators and may request a fee for such use.
Save as permitted above, no person or organisation is permitted to incorporate any copyright material from this website into any other work or publication in any format (this includes but is not limited to: websites, Apps, CDs, DVDs, intranets, extranets, signage, digital communications or on printed materials for external or other distribution). Use of the Material for promotional, administrative or for-profit purposes is not permitted.