Rare visitor

Yellow-legged Gulls breed in the Mediterranean and Atlantic islands and coasts north to Brittany. In recent decades their range has expanded into Central and Western Europe. They were first recorded in Hertfordshire in 1981.

Ten records from Fairlands Valley Lakes: An adult bird on 1 January 2019; an adult bird on 13 and 14 February 2021; a juvenile on 26 July 2022; a third winter bird on 17 December 2022; an adult bird on 21 January 2024; one on 10 March 2025; a first winter bird on 13 and 19 October 2025; an adult bird on 13 December 2025; an adult bird on 3 January 2026; a third calendar year bird on 19 April 2026.