Abundant passage migrant, common resident and breeder. One of Kuwait’s most abundant gulls, this species is partial to eutrophic wetland waters. Spring and autumn flocks have reached 20000 birds in Kuwait Bay.
Where in Kuwait
It is predominantly coastal and can be seen almost all year round, although numbers diminish entirely during summer breeding on the northern off-shore islands of Kuwait
In the world
It has an extremely large range and breeds widely at isolated, scattered localities including the Middle East. It winters in much of the Mediterranean, Black Sea and Caspian Sea including coastlines around the Arabian Peninsula, south to the Horn of Africa. Populations breeding in central Asia are fully migratory, although other populations are sedentary or only disperse short distances.
Marine oil spills and pollution, loss of habitat and human disturbance