The Caspian Gull (Larus cachinnans) is a medium-sized bird, a seagull related to the European Herring Gull. Cachinnans means laughing.
The Caspian Gull has a mainly creamy-coloured body with a brown-grey flecked back and wings. It has a sloping forehead and a long yellow-brown beak tipped with brown-black. Its eyes are small and dark. It has yellowish legs with webbed feet.
Caspian Gull
It is large for a seagull, measuring 56-68 centimetres (22-27 inches) tall, with a 137-155 centimetres (54-61 inches).
The Caspian Gull is native to the coastal areas of the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, and into western Europe and central Asia to north-west China,
It is a scavenger, feeding on human scraps, as well as mice, rats, and squirrels.
It nests on flat, low-lying ground near water. Females lay 2-3 eggs, which hatch after 27-31 days.
Caspian Gull
Caspian Gull
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM