Identifying this rather small gull can be complex due to its different plumages depending on age and season. Breeding adults, near summer, display a completely black head, intense red beak with a black stripe, and red legs.
In winter, adults lose the black head color, retaining only a dark, blurred patch behind and below the eyes. Juveniles, however, appear “dirtier,” with dark legs, an almost black beak, and brown stripes on their wings.
In our regions, the presence of this species is limited to the colder months, with a massive concentration in the Gulf of Sant Jordi.
Although strongly linked to the sea, where they sleep in the water or rest on beaches and rocky areas, the Mediterranean Gull exhibits surprising inland behavior. In the early afternoon, large groups fly towards fields near Reus to feed on olives.
After feeding, these birds head to the Riudecanyes reservoir to drink fresh water and clean themselves, providing a visual spectacle of hundreds or thousands of specimens flying over the area. Their diet includes terrestrial or aquatic invertebrates, fish, mollusks, and even plant matter.
