#0877 · 🐦 birds

Sabine's Gull

🇳🇱 Vorkstaartmeeuw ·Xema sabini

LCleast concern 🐦 Birds 📍 in the Netherlands

10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences

what is it?

The Sabine's gull ( Xema sabini ), also known as the fork-tailed gull or xeme , is a small gull. Its generic placement is disputed; some authors treat it as the sole species in the genus Xema as Xema sabini , while others retain it in the genus Larus as Larus sabini .

base stats

NL sightings 8iNaturalist, research grade
worldwide 3,615iNaturalist observations
weight 185 gadult, up to
threat LCleast concern

Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).

fun facts

Spotted 8 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist.
3,615 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
Weighs only about 185 g.
Scientifically named by Joseph Sabine in 1819 (207 years ago).

fact sheet

English: Sabine's Gull
Nederlands: Vorkstaartmeeuw
scientific name: Xema sabini
class: Aves
order: Charadriiformes
family: Laridae
IUCN Red List: LC · least concern
sightings in NL: 8
sightings in Europe: 258
sightings worldwide: 3,615
GBIF records in NL: 4,619
weight: 185 g
length: —
lifespan: —
named: 1819 by Joseph Sabine

IUCN in Dutch: niet bedreigd. Blank means the sources don't say.

relatives· Laridae

Sources: iNaturalist taxon 4571, Wikidata Q212047, GBIF 2481221, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.