- Lifespan
- 20–30 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 52–67 cm, wingspan 120–150 cm; 600–1,100 g
- Habitat
- Coastal areas, including cliffs, rocky islands, beaches, and increasingly inland sites such as reservoirs, gravel pits, and urban rooftops.
- UK Distribution
- Summer breeding visitor to northern and western coasts of Britain, particularly Scotland and northern England; winters in UK coastal waters and the Mediterranean; increasing year-round presence in some regions.
- Diet
- Omnivorous scavenger feeding on fish, crustaceans, molluscs, bird eggs, chicks, small mammals, insects, and discarded food waste from urban and coastal areas.
- Prey
- Small fish (especially sandeel and sprat), crustaceans, bird eggs and chicks, small rodents
- Predators
- Golden eagles and white-tailed eagles (chicks and eggs); foxes and corvids (chicks); persecution by humans in some areas
- Mating Season
- April to August
- Breeding
- Clutch of 2–3 eggs; incubation period 24–27 days; chicks fledge at 6–7 weeks; typically one brood per year
- Behaviour
- Highly social and gregarious, forming large breeding colonies and winter flocks. Intelligent and adaptable, readily exploiting human food sources in coastal towns and landfill sites. Known for aggressive territorial and anti-predator behaviour, mobbing threats in groups.