Little Gull

Hydrocoloeus minutus (Pallas, 1776)

24–28 cmLength78 cmWingspan118 gWeight

The world’s smallest gull has an entirely black hood in the breeding season.

Busiest months: May · Most records: United Kingdom, Canada, United States

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Black hood, dark red bill and bright red legs in the breeding season
Black cap and black spot over the ear in the non-breeding season
Back and upperwing pale gray; primaries white
Underwing dark gray, strongly contrasting

Male, female and young

Juvenile has large black areas on the back and head, with a dark “W” on the upperwing in flight.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: May · Most records: United Kingdom, Canada, United States

Little Gull has been recorded at 1,125 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 74 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Titchwell Marsh RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom1,431 records
Minsmere RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom1,388 records
Cley & Salthouse Marshes NWT NR – Cley Marshes including Hides and Visitor CentreUnited Kingdom857 records

More places

Point Pelee National ParkCanada796 records
Rezerwat Mewia Łacha (Seagull Shoal Reserve) – East SidePoland758 records
Spurn Bird Observatory Recording AreaUnited Kingdom632 records
VN RozkošCzechia627 records
Les EscouminsCanada616 records
Manitowoc LakefrontUnited States612 records
Besh Barmag bottleneckAzerbaijan588 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United Kingdom Canada United States Spain Poland Czechia Finland Sweden

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

The little gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus) is a species of gull belonging to the family Laridae which is mainly found in the Palearctic with some small colonies in North America. It breeds on freshwater lakes and marshes, and spends winters at sea. It is the smallest species of gull in the world, and the only species in the monospecific genus Hydrocoloeus.

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

Questions

How big is the Little Gull?

The Little Gull is about 24–28 cm long, with a wingspan of 78 cm and weighs around 118 g.

Where does the Little Gull live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: Baltic region of eastern, northern Europe to western Siberia and northern Kazakhstan, northwestern, north-central Mongolia (rare); Siberia east of Lake Baikal to Sea of Okhotsk and northeastern China; rare Great Lakes, Hudson and James bays (east-central Canada). It is most often recorded in United Kingdom, Canada and United States.

When is the best time to see the Little Gull?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Little Gull endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Little Gull as Least Concern.

What does the Little Gull eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Little Gull in?

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

At a glance

Length: 24–28 cm
Wingspan: 78 cm
Weight: 118 g
Habitat: Coast & tidal flats
Diet: Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle: Varied
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 219 mm
Tail: 89 mm
Bill: 27 mm
Tarsus: 26 mm

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

Range

Palearctic: Baltic region of eastern, northern Europe to western Siberia and northern Kazakhstan, northwestern, north-central Mongolia (rare); Siberia east of Lake Baikal to Sea of Okhotsk and northeastern China; rare Great Lakes, Hudson and James bays (east-central Canada)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2