Pallas's gull
Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus (Pallas, 1773)
Status not recordedbirds
Pallas's gull (Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus), also called the Great black-headed gull, is a bird in the family Laridae and the order Charadriiformes. It falls in the medium size class, with an adult body mass of 1.424 kg (reported from 1.189 to 1.599 kg) and a wingspan of 1.61 m (reported from 1.5 to 1.72 m).
Quick facts about the pallas's gull
Pallas's gull is a migratory omnivore of coastal habitats with a generalist lifestyle, and its geographic range covers 739,500 km². It lays 1 clutch of 2 eggs per year, incubated for 26 days, reaches sexual maturity at 3 years and has a lifespan of 9 years.
- Weight
- 1.19 kg – 1.6 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 1.5 m – 1.72 msrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 9 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Omnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- coastalsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 26 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 2.98 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Not recorded
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the pallas's gull?
Photos of the pallas's gull
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the pallas's gull live?
Not recorded
What is the pallas's gull?
Pallas's gull (Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus), also known as the great black-headed gull, is a large bird species. As is the case with many gulls, it has traditionally been placed in the genus Larus. The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. Ichthyaetus is from ikhthus, "fish", and aetos, "eagle".
From the Wikipedia article “Pallas's gull” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pallas%27s_gull&oldid=1314631054), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the pallas's gull endangered?
No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.
How is the pallas's gull classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyLaridae
- genusIchthyaetus
- SpeciesIchthyaetus ichthyaetus (Pallas, 1773)
Synonyms Chroicocephalus kittlitzii, Larus ichthyaetus, Larus ichthyaëtus minor, Larus icthyaetus, Larus kroicocephalus, Misamichus pallasii
Other names and names in other languages (71)
- Great black-headed gullEnglish
- نورس باللاسArabic
- النورس اسود الرأس الكبيرArabic
- نورس أسود الرأس الكبيرArabic
- نورس أسود الرأس كبيرArabic
- Qarabaş qağayıAzerbaijani
- Чорнагаловы рагатунBelarusian
- Голяма черноглава чайкаBulgarian
- পালাসি গাঙচিলBangla
- Gouelan penn du RusiaBreton
- gavinot capnegreCatalan
- Пулӑ йыттиChuvash
- racek velkýCzech
- Stor Sorthovedet MågeDanish
- FischmöweGerman
- GohorukeyDivehi
- ΑετόγλαροςGreek
- FiŝmevoEsperanto
- fiŝa mevoEsperanto
- Gavión cabecinegroSpanish
- stepikajakasEstonian
- کاکایی سرسیاه بزرگPersian
- mustapäälokkiFinnish
- Goéland ichthyaèteFrench
- Grutte SwartkopmiuwWestern Frisian
- Mórfhaoileán ceanndubhIrish
- Foillan PallasScottish Gaelic
- שחף עיטיHebrew
- halászsirályHungarian
- Քրքջան սևագլուխArmenian
- FiskimáfurIcelandic
- Gabbiano di PallasItalian
- Gabbiano del PallasItalian
- オオズグロカモメJapanese
- შავთაკა ღიღთოლიაGeorgian
- Қарабас өгізшағалаKazakh
- Қарабас єгіз шағалаKazakh
- 큰검은머리갈매기Korean
- kiras kvatoklisLithuanian
- zivju kaijaLatvian
- голем црноглав галебMacedonian
- വലിയ കടൽക്കാക്കMalayalam
- വലിയ കടല്ക്കാക്കMalayalam
- Gawwija ImperjaliMaltese
- Итэлгэн цахлай - ᠢᠳᠥᠯᠭᠡᠨ ᠴᠠᠬᠣᠯᠠᠢMongolian
- पलासचा कुरवMarathi
- Burung Camar Kepala Hitam BesarMalay
- ReuzenzwartkopmeeuwDutch
- steppemåkeNorwegian
- OrlicaPolish
- (mewa) orlicaPolish
- mewa orlicaPolish
- orlica ptakPolish
- Alcatraz-de-cabeça-pretaPortuguese
- gaivotão-de-cabeça-pretaPortuguese
- Pescăruş asiaticRomanian
- Черноголовый хохотунRussian
- ČáhppesoaiskávliNorthern Sami
- čajka orliaSlovak
- ribji galebSlovenian
- Veliki crnoglavi galebSerbian
- svarthuvad trutSwedish
- Shakwe Kichwa-cheusiSwahili
- นกนางนวลหัวดำใหญ่Thai
- Büyük Karabaş MartıTurkish
- Кара баштыг ак-кускунTuvinian
- мартин каспійськийUkrainian
- Chim Mòng bể đầu đen lớnVietnamese
- פֿישער־מײװYiddish
- 渔鸥Chinese
- 漁鷗Chinese
Relatives of the pallas's gull
Other species in the same genus Ichthyaetus.
Mediterranean gull
Ichthyaetus melanocephalus
Audouin's gull
Ichthyaetus audouinii
Sooty gull
Ichthyaetus hemprichii
White-eyed gull
Ichthyaetus leucophthalmus
Relict gull
Ichthyaetus relictus
ComparePallas's gull vs Mediterranean gullPallas's gull vs Audouin's gullPallas's gull vs Sooty gullPallas's gull vs White-eyed gull
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is Pallas's gull?
Pallas's gull is a bird in the family Laridae and the order Charadriiformes. It is also called the Great black-headed gull.
How big is Pallas's gull?
Pallas's gull has an adult body mass of 1.424 kg and a wingspan of 1.61 m. Reported wingspans run from 1.5 to 1.72 m.
What does Pallas's gull eat?
Pallas's gull is an omnivore with a generalist lifestyle.
What habitat does Pallas's gull use?
Pallas's gull lives in coastal habitats, and its geographic range covers 739,500 km².
Does Pallas's gull migrate?
Yes, Pallas's gull is migratory.
How many eggs does Pallas's gull lay?
Pallas's gull lays 2 eggs per clutch and 1 clutch per year. The eggs are incubated for 26 days.
How long does Pallas's gull live?
Pallas's gull has a lifespan of 9 years and reaches sexual maturity at 3 years.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Pallas's gull (Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/pallass-gull
“Pallas's gull (Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/pallass-gull.
@misc{pallass_gull_2026,
title = {Pallas's gull (Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/pallass-gull},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}