YELLOW-LEGGED GULL

Larus michahellis

The Yellow-legged Gull is classified as Near Threatened (NT) because of its small population size (about 80 mature individuals), combined with a regional adjustment for the fact that its population is expanding and that the Israeli population has always been a marginal population at the edge of its global range. In the previous edition of the Red Book (2002), it was classified as Critically Endangered (CR). The improvement in the threat category reflects the population growth and its expansion to central Israel, in particular to the Tel-Aviv Metropolitan Area.

Habitats	Coastal Islats, Salt Ponds, Wetlands with Shallow Banks
Presence In Israel	Resident
Nesting In Israel	Breeder
Migration Types	Resident
Zoography Zones	Mediterranean
Landscape Formations	Salt Ponds, Coastal Islats, Wetlands, Freshwater Bodies
Vegetation Densities	Low
Nest Locations	Ground
Diet Types	Omnivore
Foraging Grounds	Water, Ground
Body Sizes	Medium (500 - 1000g)
Threat Factors	Unknown

The Yellow-legged Gull is a resident breeding species found in small numbers on the northern Coastal Plain, in areas with fishponds and reservoirs close to the coast, and on small islands in the sea. In recent years the species began nesting in the Tel-Aviv Metropolitan Area as well. The estimated population in the different areas: 10-20 pairs on the Rosh HaNikra-Acre coast, 10-12 pairs on the Carmel coast, about 10 pairs in Tel-Aviv and 1-3 pairs in Yavne and Ashdod.
First nesting discovered in 1951. In the 1970s and 1980s, 5-12 pairs nested on the islands opposite Rosh HaNikra and between Atlit and Ma’agan Michael (Paz 1986, Shirihai 1996).

• פז, ע. 1986. עופות. מתוך אלון, ע. (עורך), החי והצומח של ארץ ישראל. כרך 6. הוצאת משרד הביטחון, ישראל.

• Shirihai, H., 1996. The Birds of Israel. Academic Press, London.
• Symes, A. 2013. Species generation lengths. Unpublished, BirdLife International.
• Species page at Birdlife International