Hartlaub's Gull (Chroicocephalus hartlaubii)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Hartlaub's Gull

Chroicocephalus hartlaubii (Bruch, 1855)

292 gWeight

Hartlaub's gull (Chroicocephalus hartlaubii) is a small gull in the genus Chroicocephalus.

Busiest months: September–November · Most records: South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: September–November · Most records: South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique

Hartlaub's Gull has been recorded at 28 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Strandfontein WTPSouth Africa2,749 records
  2. Stony Point – Penguin ColonySouth Africa1,205 records
  3. Rondevlei NRSouth Africa821 records
More places
  1. West Coast NPSouth Africa820 records
  2. Walvis Bay – Lagoon PromenadeNamibia740 records
  3. West Coast NP – Geelbek hides vicinitySouth Africa724 records
  4. Boulders BeachSouth Africa586 records
  5. Walvis Bay Salt PansNamibia508 records
  6. West Coast NP – Seeberg hideSouth Africa489 records
  7. Rietvlei Wetlands ReserveSouth Africa397 records

Countries and regions with the most records

South AfricaNamibiaMozambique

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

Hartlaub's gull (Chroicocephalus hartlaubii) is a small gull in the genus Chroicocephalus. It was formerly (as with other related gulls) placed in the genus Larus until genetic research demonstrated that the old broad view of that genus was paraphyletic.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Hartlaub's Gull?

The Hartlaub's Gull weighs around 292 g.

Where does the Hartlaub's Gull live?

Its breeding range: Africa: coastal central Namibia to West Cape, southern Africa. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Namibia and Mozambique.

When is the best time to see the Hartlaub's Gull?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in September, October and November (Southern Hemisphere).

What does the Hartlaub's Gull eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Hartlaub's Gull in?

It belongs to the family Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae), order Charadriiformes.

At a glance

Weight
292 g
Habitat
Coast & tidal flats
Diet
Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle
Varied
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
More measurements
Wing
270 mm
Tail
98 mm
Bill
40 mm
Tarsus
41 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: coastal central Namibia to West Cape, southern Africa

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Genus
Chroicocephalus

Other birds in the genus Chroicocephalus

Slender-billed GullSlender-billed GullChroicocephalus geneiBonaparte's GullBonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaSilver GullSilver GullChroicocephalus novaehollandiaeBlack-billed GullBlack-billed GullChroicocephalus bulleriAndean GullAndean GullChroicocephalus serranusBrown-hooded GullBrown-hooded GullChroicocephalus maculipennisBlack-headed GullBlack-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusBrown-headed GullBrown-headed GullChroicocephalus brunnicephalusGrey-headed GullGrey-headed GullChroicocephalus cirrocephalusAfrican SkimmerAfrican SkimmerRynchops flavirostris
Hartlaub's Gull

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Tia Offner. ↗

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