Name

Laridae

Black-headed gull

Framing

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Vertebrata

Class: Aves

Order: Charadriiformes

Family: Laridae

Habitat

Frequent on coasts but also very common in inland marshes, lagoons, rivers and reservoirs, where it nests. Common in cities. When searching for food, it can frequent diverse environments, from fishing ports to rubbish dumps, as well as inland farmland (where it is common to see it following ploughshares), rice fields or salt marshes.

Feeding

Free. Gregarious. Mainly predatory on aquatic or terrestrial invertebrates, some fish and small terrestrial vertebrates, although it also consumes rubbish in rubbish dumps and plant matter.

Distribution

Palaearctic and Ethiopian and eastern regions, marginally reaching North America. Summering in the northern half of its range and wintering in the southern half, with a band of sedentary populations in Western Europe.

Conservation status

Not threatened

Additional information

Free. Gregarious. Small gull (36 cm), more slender than the yellow-legged and sombre, with red legs and bill, the latter being rather thin, a very light grey back, and a dark head in spring, a chocolate colour that does not cover the nape of the neck. In winter the dark on the head is relegated to two clearly visible bands at the level of the eyes and ears. In flight, a white wing edge is very typical, contrasting with the grey of the back and the black tips of the primaries. Other dark-headed Spanish gulls lack this white wing panel, the dark on the head reaches lower on the nape of the neck and in the black-headed gull it is jet-black. The young have grey, white and yellowish-brown mottling on the wings and back, but the underparts, obispillum and wing panels are already white, and in the second winter they reach adult plumage.