Seagull vs Pigeon: Size Chart, Diet and Key Differences

Seagulls are much bigger than pigeons. A herring gull is 54 to 60 cm long, has a wingspan of up to 1.5 m and weighs 690 to 1,440 g, roughly three to four times a feral pigeon. The two birds are not closely related: gulls are omnivorous seabirds, while pigeons mostly eat seeds and grain.

Illustration of a feral pigeon and a herring gull facing each other with VS between them

Pigeon vs seagull at a glance

	Feral pigeon	Herring gull
Family and order	Columbidae (pigeons and doves), order Columbiformes	Laridae (gulls and terns), order Charadriiformes
Length	30–36 cm	54–60 cm
Wingspan	50–67 cm	130–150 cm
Weight	265–380 g	690–1,440 g
Feet	Not webbed	Webbed
Bill	Short and straight, with a fleshy cere at the base	Long, heavy and hooked at the tip, yellow with a red spot
Diet	Mostly seeds and grain, some invertebrates	Almost anything: fish, carrion, offal, eggs, young birds, insects and scraps
Eggs and broods	Usually 2 eggs, several broods a year	Usually 3 eggs, 1 brood a year
Typical lifespan	Wild pigeons seldom live more than 3 years	About 12 years once a bird reaches breeding age
UK status	Feral bird, very common in towns	Red-listed (declining as a breeding bird)

Sources: Cornell Lab of Ornithology (rock pigeon), RSPB (herring gull), BTO BirdFacts, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

How big is a seagull compared with a pigeon?

It depends on the gull. “Seagull” covers several species, and in the UK they range from the black-headed gull, about the weight of a feral pigeon, to the great black-backed gull, which can weigh 2 kg. The herring gull, the typical seaside “seagull”, is about twice as long as a feral pigeon and has more than twice its wingspan.

Pigeons vary too. The woodpigeon, the UK’s largest common pigeon, is 40 to 42 cm long and weighs 480 to 550 g, so it is heavier than a black-headed gull and about as long as a common gull. Our guide to how big a pigeon is has more pigeon measurements.

Herring gull standing among feral pigeons on a paved square

Only distantly, as all birds are. Pigeons and doves form the family Columbidae in the order Columbiformes. Gulls belong to the family Laridae, with terns and skimmers, in the order Charadriiformes alongside waders and auks. A 2015 genome-scale family tree of birds by Prum and colleagues placed the two orders on separate branches of the bird family tree.

Because they are so distantly related, gulls and pigeons cannot interbreed; see seagull pigeon hybrids. Pigeons can only cross with other members of their own family, and even then rarely: see can doves and pigeons mate. The RSPB also points out that there is no species called the “seagull”: the word is an everyday name for several gull species, many of which live far inland.

How to tell a pigeon from a seagull

Shape: gulls have long, narrow wings and a heavier body; pigeons are plump with a small head, short legs and broad, pointed wings.
Feet: gulls have webbed feet and swim well; pigeons have unwebbed toes for walking and perching.
Bill: a gull’s bill is long and hooked at the tip; a pigeon’s is short and straight, with a soft, pale cere where it meets the head.
Colour: adult gulls are mostly white, grey and black; young gulls are mottled brown for their first years and can look nothing like their parents. Feral pigeons are usually blue-grey with two dark wing bars and a glossy green and purple neck, though colours vary a lot.
Behaviour: pigeons walk with a nodding head and feed in tight flocks on the ground; gulls stride, swim, hover and snatch food in the air.

Herring gull and a feral pigeon walking on a paved street

Diet: what pigeons and gulls eat

Pigeons are mainly seed and grain eaters. Feral pigeons also eat bread and other scraps, and occasionally insects and other small invertebrates; see what pigeons eat. Pigeons can drink by sucking water up without tipping their head back, which most birds cannot do.

Gulls are among the least fussy birds. The RSPB lists the herring gull’s diet as carrion, offal, seeds, fruit, young birds, eggs, small mammals, insects and fish, and gulls can drink seawater, removing the extra salt through glands above the eyes.

Feral pigeon and a small pale gull on a sandy beach

Breeding and lifespan

Feral pigeons pair for life, usually lay two eggs, and can raise four or five broods a year when food is plentiful, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. That is why town pigeon numbers recover quickly. Read more about how pigeons mate.

Herring gulls nest in colonies on cliffs, islands and, increasingly, rooftops. The BTO gives a typical clutch of three eggs and one brood a year, with most birds first breeding at about four years old. Gulls live longer: a herring gull that reaches breeding age typically lives about 12 years, while wild town pigeons seldom live beyond three. See how long pigeons live.

Which is worse, pigeons or seagulls?

It depends on what bothers you. Pigeons cause more problems on buildings: their droppings build up on ledges, nests block gutters, and the droppings can carry organisms that cause illness in people, although the risk to healthy people is low; see do pigeons carry diseases and our pigeon droppings guide. Problems with a neighbour feeding pigeons are covered in our guide to neighbour pigeon nuisance.

Gulls are noisier and bolder. They snatch food from people’s hands, rip open bin bags, and some swoop at people who come near their chicks in early summer. Both birds are protected in the UK: under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to intentionally kill or injure them or damage a nest in use, unless a licence allows it, and the herring gull is on the UK red list of birds of conservation concern.

In their favour, pigeons are calm and easy to tame (see are pigeons smart), and gulls clear up a good deal of waste.

Gull gliding with its long wings spread against a blue sky

Would a seagull win a fight with a pigeon?

Yes, a large gull would almost always win. It is three or more times heavier, has a hooked bill, and the bigger gull species do kill and eat pigeons. In 2011 the Dutch seabird journal Sula described a yellow-legged gull grabbing a feral pigeon from a flock at a café in Cádiz, Spain, and holding on until it could kill it. The author noted that gulls usually catch only young, weak or small birds, and that a few individuals specialise in larger prey.

A pigeon has no weapons and does not hunt; its defence is to fly away. For other animals that hunt pigeons, see natural predators of pigeons.

Herring gull standing over a dead pigeon on a pavement

Frequently asked questions

Is a seagull bigger than a pigeon?

Usually, yes. A herring gull is about twice as long as a feral pigeon and three to four times as heavy. The black-headed gull is the exception: it weighs about the same as a feral pigeon.

Are pigeons and seagulls related?

Only distantly. Pigeons are in the order Columbiformes and gulls in the order Charadriiformes, with waders and auks.

Can seagulls and pigeons breed?

No. They are too distantly related to produce young; see seagull pigeon hybrids.

Do seagulls eat pigeons?

Sometimes. Large gulls such as herring, yellow-legged and great black-backed gulls have been seen killing pigeons, usually weak or young birds, and they also eat dead ones.

Which is worse, pigeons or seagulls?

Pigeons cause more damage to buildings through droppings and nests; gulls are noisier and more likely to steal food or swoop at people near their nests.

Is a dove smaller than a seagull?

Yes. A collared dove weighs around 200 g and a feral pigeon up to about 380 g, while a herring gull weighs 690 to 1,440 g.

Sources

We checked each source on 3 November 2026.

Last updated 3 November 2026 · Fun