Pallas's Gull

Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus (Pallas, 1773)

55–72 cmLength160 cmWingspan1.4 kgWeight

It is a very large gull with a black hood in summer, unlike any other gull of comparable size.

Busiest months: January–March · Most records: India, China, Israel

How to identify

Field marks

Black hood in summer plumage
Back and wings gray; conspicuous white patches on wingtips
Legs yellow; bill orange-yellow with a red tip
Other plumages have a dark mask through the eye

Male, female and young

Juvenile upperparts soon turn gray; takes four years to reach maturity.

Voice

A low “aargh”; flight call is low and nasal.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: January–March · Most records: India, China, Israel

Pallas's Gull has been recorded at 483 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 48 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Haiderpur Wetlands and Bijnor BarrageIndia726 records
Ujani Dam – Kumbhargaon Bird SanctuaryIndia508 records
Okhla Bird SanctuaryIndia434 records

More places

Mai Po Nature ReserveHong Kong (China)382 records
Nalsarovar Bird SanctuaryIndia334 records
Besh Barmag bottleneckAzerbaijan324 records
Asan Conservation ReserveIndia321 records
Ugii Lake, Ugiinuur, Arkhangai, MNMongolia250 records
Pulicat Lake – [TN Section]India214 records
Al Jahra Reserve (Restricted access)Kuwait206 records

Countries and regions with the most records

India China Israel Mongolia Azerbaijan Türkiye Bangladesh Nepal

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

Pallas's gull (Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus), also known as the great black-headed gull, is a large bird species. As is the case with many gulls, it has traditionally been placed in the genus Larus. The scientific name is from Ancient Greek.

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

Questions

How big is the Pallas's Gull?

The Pallas's Gull is about 55–72 cm long, with a wingspan of 160 cm and weighs around 1.4 kg.

Where does the Pallas's Gull live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: patchily on lake islands from Crimea to Kazakhstan, western, southern Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai and Inner Mongolia (western, central China). It is most often recorded in India, China and Israel.

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

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February and March (Northern Hemisphere).

What does the Pallas's Gull eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Pallas's Gull in?

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

At a glance

Length: 55–72 cm
Wingspan: 160 cm
Weight: 1.4 kg
Habitat: Coast & tidal flats
Diet: Omnivore
Lifestyle: Varied
Migration: Migratory

More measurements

Wing: 471 mm
Tail: 173 mm
Bill: 73 mm
Tarsus: 72 mm

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

Range

Palearctic: patchily on lake islands from Crimea to Kazakhstan, western, southern Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai and Inner Mongolia (western, central China)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2