Habitat
During the breeding season lakes surrounded by reedbeds, reservoirs, rivers, grassy or shrubby river islands, sea cliffs, rocky and sandy offshore islands, rocky coasts, sandy beaches, spits, sand-dunes, and salt-pans, and foraging in intertidal zones and in brackish coastal marshes. Outside of the breeding season along coasts and in other marine habitats, and forages in cultivated fields, along rivers, and refuse dumps.
Caspian Gull (Larus cachinnans) [XC344249]
by Marcin So\u0142owiej from Blauer See, Dorsten, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany (call)
Caspian Gull (Larus cachinnans) [XC122952]
by Jarek Matusiak from Urszulin (near Zabrodzie), W\u0142odawa County, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland (alarm call)
Nest
Composed of vegetation, feathers, debris and old carcasses, usually close to or under bushes, or on rocky and sandy islands, beaches, spits, sea cliffs, grassy or shrubby river islands, and occasionally on high ground hundreds of metres from water. In colonies often with other species.
Subspecies
Larus cachinnans (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into Caspian Gull (Larus cachinnans) and Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis); Armenian Gull (Larus armenicus) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993; AERC TAC) has been lumped into Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis). These changes to the BirdLife checklist follow examination by the BirdLife Taxonomic Working Group (BTWG) of a recent review of large white-headed gulls in the Holarctic by Collinson et al. (2008) and associated literature referred to therein. The following species level treatment, shown with subspecific placements, has been adopted by the BTWG: Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) (with intermedius, graellsii, heuglini, taimyrensis and barabensis); European Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) (with argenteus, smithsonianus, vegae and mongolicus); Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis) (with atlantis and armenicus) and Caspian Gull (Larus cachinnans).
All subspecies listed below have often been treated under European Herring Gull (Larus argentatus).
The form ponticus of the Caspian Sea is a synonym of nominate cachinnans.
Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis).
The following 5 subspecies are recognised:
atlantis Dwight, 1922 - Azores to Madeira and Canary Is.
michahellis J. F. Naumann, 1840 - Western and southern Europe and north-western Africa east through Mediterranean. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis).
cachinnans Pallas, 1811 - Black Sea to Caspian Sea and eastern Kazakhstan. Winters south to south-western Asia, Middle East and north-eastern Africa.
barabensis Johansen, 1960 - Central Asian steppes. Winters mostly in south-western Asia. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Baraba Gull (Larus barabensis).
mongolicus Sushkin, 1925 - South-eastern Altai and L Baikal to Mongolia. Winters mostly in southern Asia. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Mongolian Gull (Larus mongolicus).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet