Common Gull
Larus canus
Stormmåge er en mågefugl, der er udbredt i det nordlige Europa og Asien. Den er en almindelig dansk ynglefugl, der yngler i kolonier på øer og holme ved de danske kyster samt enkelte steder i indlandet ved søer og moser.
Medium-sized gull with a blue-grey back, yellow-green legs and a short, plain yellow-green bill with no red spot. The dark eye lends a gentle look, and the black wingtips carry big white "mirrors".
Can be confused with
- Herring Gull — Herring Gull is markedly larger and coarser with a heavy yellow bill with a red spot, a pale eye and pink legs; the Common Gull is daintier with a spotless green-yellow bill and a dark eye.
- Black-legged Kittiwake — Kittiwake shows solidly black wingtips with no white "mirrors" — as if dipped in ink — and black legs; it is also a true seabird.
Plumage and variation
Summer and winter: Winter birds show a grey-streaked head and often a diffuse dark band near the bill tip.
Juvenile: Juvenile is scaly grey-brown with pink legs; adult dress is reached over three years.
Voice
A high, complaining, almost laughing cry — higher-pitched than the large gulls’.
Behaviour
Forages readily inland on ploughed fields and grass for insects and worms, also taking fish scraps and carrion.
When and where
A common Danish breeder in colonies on islands and skerries along coasts and fjords, occasionally inland on heaths and wetlands; the population has held around 30,000 pairs since the late 1980s.
Facts
Wingspan
111 cm
Conservation status
ikke truet
Relatives
Family
gulls and terns
Laridae
Order
waders, gulls and auks
Charadriiformes
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