The smallest species of gull in the world – increasing in the UK

The little gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus) is the smallest species of gull in the world. It is a highly migratory species, nesting in northern Scandinavia and the eastern Baltic Sea, but wintering further south in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean off North Africa. This dainty gull is most often seen in the United Kingdom during its northward spring migration, though small numbers remain in the Irish Sea, English Channel and North Sea throughout the winter. Numbers seen in winter around the UK vary annually depending on weather conditions; during onshore gales they may be reported from coasts and occasionally inland. The number of wintering birds recorded in the UK seem to be increasing (+410% increase from 1995/96 to 2020/21), a trend that likely reflects general range expansion in western Europe. In 2016 they successfully nested for the first time in Great Britain at the RSPB reserve at Loch of Strathbeg in Aberdeenshire. I have seen this species at RSPB Minsmere (Suffolk), NWT Cley Marshes (Norfolk), Whitlingham Broad and Thorpe Marshes (Norwich) in spring and autumn.

Posted on September 2, 2024 08:49 AM by heliastes21