Slender-billed Gull

Chroicocephalus genei

Identity and identification

Slender-billed Gull Chroicocephalus genei belongs to Laridae; older classifications use Larus genei. A relatively long bill and white head without a dark summer hood are useful features; the breast can appear pinkish. Neck length, head shape and bill should be considered together when separating it from Black-headed Gull.

Habitat and food

It uses saline lagoons, saltpans and shallow coasts, taking fish and invertebrates. Non-breeding gatherings occur around feeding and resting areas; winter presence does not demonstrate nesting.

Breeding and development

Colonies nest on low ground or islands near water. The CIESM guide gives two or three eggs, about 25 days of incubation and 4–5 weeks of chick rearing. These reference durations are not a single breeding calendar for every country.

Arab occurrence and seasonality

Qatar’s current list describes a common winter visitor. Lebanon’s 2020 checklist instead describes an uncommon winter visitor and irregular spring migrant. November is relevant to Qatar’s wintering birds and the approaching cold season in Lebanon without implying equal abundance.

Observation and conservation

Changes to saltpan water regimes, coastal infilling and colony disturbance affect habitat. Observe at a distance and do not publicise active nest locations.

CIESM — Guide of Seabirds: Slender Billed Gull · British Trust for Ornithology — BirdFacts: Slender Billed Gull · Ramadan-Jaradi et al. — Updated checklist of the birds of Lebanon, Sandgrouse 42 (2020) · Qatar Bird Observation Group — Qatar Bird List · AviList Core Team — Global Avian Checklist v2026, 20 October 2026

Species illustration: Sunny Zhang 张迎新 — CC0 1.0. · 1 · https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/