Vega Gull

Vega Gull (Larus vegae) is a large white-headed gull with pale grey back, black wingtips, pink legs and a stout yellow bill. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds in northeastern Asia and winters on coasts and large waters, eating fish, invertebrates, carrion and human refuse. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. The Korean vertebrate catalogue used for this guide records the species in South Korea (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Korea occurrence records).