White-eyed gull

How it lives

White-eyed gulls nest in small loose colonies, usually fewer than 25 pairs, on rocky or sandy islands. Pairs lay two or three eggs. Breeding runs from about June to August or September, and colonies break up by October. Adults have a black hood, a white ring around the eye, a grey back and a dark red bill with a black tip. Young birds are brown and take two to three years to get adult plumage.

Where it goes

The species is mostly sedentary and stays around the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. After breeding it spreads along coasts, including the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba. Some birds reach Oman and Somalia.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

IUCN lists the species as Least Concern in its most recent assessment. Earlier assessments listed it as Near Threatened, and several older pages still use that label. The world total is about 37,000 to 44,000 birds, according to a gull research page. The breeding range covers Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia. A 2001 to 2007 survey of the Eritrean Red Sea islands counted about 5,900 breeding pairs on 49 islands, with about 3,000 pairs on one island, Abeilat. That is roughly one third of the world population. Egg collection by sea cucumber fishermen was the main threat there, and oil pollution and human pressure are named threats for the species.