The Black-headed Gull was @SpeciesofUK from 16th
to 22nd June.
Black-headed
gulls are a common species of UK gull, found just as often inland as they are
on the coast.[1] They
are noisy and quarrelsome birds.
Black-headed gulls are members of the Croicocephalus genus.
Gulls are seabirds of the Laridae
family. They are closely related to, but distinct from, the tern family Sternidae.[2]
.jpg)
Gulls are remarkably cosmopolitan birds. They are found across the
globe. In fact, they live on every continent, including the margins of
Antarctica.[3]
Most gulls are coastal or inland birds. They don't venture far out to sea (with the notable exception of the kittiwake).[4]
As is the case with many gull species, the black-headed gull was originally
placed in the genus Larus.[5]
However, from around 2005, the Larus
genus started to be split up. One of the new genera created was Croicocephalus, which now contains
several small- to medium-sized gulls including the black-headed gull.[6]
Croicocephalus, appropriately
enough for the black-headed gull, means ‘colour’, from Greek ‘chroa’ and ‘head’
(‘cephalus’).[7]
The black-headed gull's species name Ridibundus
means 'laughing', also very appropriate given its noisy cacophony of calls.[8]
The black-headed gull is our commonest inland gull.[9]
The black-headed gull is found commonly almost anywhere inland, so it's
not really a 'sea' gull.[10]
The black-headed gull is common across the UK but is most numerous in
northern England, Scotland and Wales.[11]
 |
| Black-headed Gulls [Flickr Creative Commons © Stefan Berndtsson] |
Most of the world’s black-headed gulls are migratory, breeding in the Palearctic
and heading south for the winter. The UK is unusual in that we also have a
sizeable resident population.[12]
The UK has about 140,000 breeding pairs of black-headed gulls, which
equates to 6% of the total world population. In winter, migrants to the UK
swell the number to an incredible 2.2 million birds.[13]
Outside of the UK, black-headed gulls are found in Europe except for the
far north, Asia, eastern Canada and in winter also the north and west African
and Arabian coasts.[14]
There's a good global distribution map for black-headed gulls here.
The black-headed gull is fairly easy to
identify.
Gull species have a range of plumages depending on their age and the
time of year, making them notoriously tricky to tell apart.[15]
Fortunately, the black-headed gull is relatively easy to pinpoint,
especially in its adult summer plumage.[16]
The black-headed gull is a small gull, 39-44cm long with a 94-105cm
wingspan.[17]
.jpg) |
| Black-headed Gull [Wikimedia Commons © flemming christiansen] |
The black-headed gull has a silver grey body with white underparts,
black tips on the primary wing feathers, and a distinctive dark red bill and
legs.[18]
 |
| Black-headed Gull showing Black Wing Tips and Red Bill and Legs [Wikimedia Commons © ArildV] |
In flight, the white leading edge to the wing is a good way of
distinguishing the black-headed gull from the common gull.[19]
 |
| Black-headed Gulls showing White Leading Edge to Wings [Wikimedia Commons © Böhringer] |
The black-headed gull is best known for
its distinctive summer plumage.
The black-headed gull gets its name, rather obviously, from its 'black'
(really more a chocolate-brown) head, which is the main feature of its summer
plumage.[20]
 |
| Black-headed Gull in Summer Plumage [Wikimedia Commons © Estormiz] |
For much of the year though, when in its winter plumage, the
black-headed gull loses its black hood and its head is in fact white.[21]
In the black-headed gull’s winter plumage, the only sign of the formerly
black head is a small dark smudge to the rear of each eye.[22]
 |
| Black-headed Gull in Winter Plumage [Flickr Creative Commons © Tony Sutton] |
Juvenile black-headed gulls have a ginger-brown mantle, shoulders, and
wing feathers. They become like the adults over two years.[23]
The species most easily confused with black-headed gulls is the
Mediterranean gull. However, Mediterranean gulls are very scarce in the UK,
only appearing in southern and eastern coastal areas.[24]
Mediterranean gulls are a paler grey than black-headed gulls, lack black
wing tips, and have a truly black head that extends from the nape into the
neck.[25]
Black-headed gulls are noisy.
Black-headed gulls are sociable and quarrelsome birds and are extremely
noisy.[26]
Black-headed gulls have a variety of calls. One of the most common is a
harsh laugh, which has given it the name ‘laughing gull’.[27]
Black-headed gulls are most often seen in small groups or flocks. They
gather in larger numbers when roosting or where there is plenty of food.[28]
Black-headed gulls typically eat a variety of worms, insects, small fish
and carrion. They'll also take scraps and steal from other birds.[29]
Black-headed gulls can also be found scavenging for food in household or
industrial waste.[30]
The black-headed gull breeds in
colonies.
Black-headed gull colonies are formed on cliffs, large reedbeds or
marshes, or on islands in lakes, nesting on the ground.[31]
The black-headed gull nest is usually a scrape in the ground or a pile
of dead plant material.[32] The eggs are light greenish-blue with
dark blotches on them and are smooth and glossy.[33]
Both black-headed gull parents share the duty of incubating the eggs.[34]
Thirty-five days after hatching, black-headed gull chicks fledge.[35] Black-headed gulls
are fairly long-lived, with a maximum recorded life-span of thirty-two years.[36]
Strange but true…
The black-headed gull is far more common than the ‘common gull’![37]
[1]
http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/b/blackheadedgull/
[2]
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gull
[3]
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gull
[4]
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gull;
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-headed_gull
[5]
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-headed_gull
[6]
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larus
[7]
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chroicocephalus
[8]
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-headed_gull
[9]
https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/blackheadedgull/
[10]
https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/blackheadedgull/
[11]
https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/blackheadedgull/
[12]
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&ei=AeSiU5_3K4qm0AWCo4G4Dw&url=http://www.bto.org/ai/pdfs/232move.pdf&cd=10&ved=0CEQQFjAJ&usg=AFQjCNGZjOS1RnAvFLFT-87R9cSzkO3V4g
[13]
https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/blackheadedgull/;
http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-2882
[14]
https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/blackheadedgull/;
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-headed_gull
[15]
http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/blackheadedgull.htm
[16]
http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/blackheadedgull.htm
[17]
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-headed_gull
[18]
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-headed_gull;
http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/blackheadedgull.htm
[19]
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-headed_gull;
http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/blackheadedgull.htm
[20]
https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/blackheadedgull/
[21]
https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/blackheadedgull/;
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-headed_gull
[22]
http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/blackheadedgull.htm
[23]
http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/blackheadedgull.htm
[24]
http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/blackheadedgull.htm;
https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/m/mediterraneangull/
[25]
http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/blackheadedgull.htm
[26]
https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/blackheadedgull/
[27]
http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/blackheadedgull.htm
[28]
https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/blackheadedgull/
[29]
https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/blackheadedgull/;
http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/blackheadedgull.htm
[30]
http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/blackheadedgull.htm
[31]
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-headed_gull
[32]
http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/blackheadedgull.htm
[33]
http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/blackheadedgull.htm
[34]
http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/blackheadedgull.htm
[35]
http://www.arkive.org/black-headed-gull/larus-ridibundus/
[36]
http://www.arkive.org/black-headed-gull/larus-ridibundus/
[37]
http://www.twootz.com/bird/Black-Headed-Gull
.jpg){kind=link}
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