adult summer

adult summer adult winter European distribution summer adult swimmatureing

Identification

Novice birdwatchers are often perplexed when they see gulls in winter with mostly white heads which are called Black-headed Gulls, then even more puzzled when you explain that in summer the heads actually become brown, although they often look black from a distance. In summer plumage, the dark hood only just covers the face and doesn't go down the nape as in the other dark-headed gulls. In winter plumage you have to look carefully at the distribution of black on the head and compare it with the dark eye-mask of a Mediterranean Gull and the sooty skull-cap of a Little Gull. Black-headed Gulls in all plumages have a white forewing, making a triangular white panel in the leading edge of the primaries.

Habitat

Breeds on coastal and inland marshes, moorland and gravel pits. Winters on estuaries, lakes, reservoirs, coasts and rubbish tips.

Behaviour

The dark hood which develops in summer is a symbol of aggression, so that two competing males will face each other to show as much of the hood as possible. However, to reduce aggression between members of the same pair, they have developed ritualistic displays in which the head is suddenly turned away so the partner only sees the white of the back of the neck.

Migration

Except in Ireland where there is only a little dispersal, most European birds migrate to the south or south-west for the winter.

This information is taken from the BirdFile on the appropriate BirdGuides DVD-ROM. As well as video and sounds, our CD- and DVD-ROMs contain additional text on Voice, Sexing, Ageing, Food, Nests and Eggs and more.

For the purposes of our bird news services, Black-headed Gull is classed as Common: common species, including species that are certain or probable escapees from captivity when occurring in the British Isles. (Note that rarity levels are currently applied nationally and may not reflect local variations in abundance.)

Leasowe, Cheshire 27/07/2010	Oxford Island NNR, Armagh 18/07/2010	Oxford Island NNR, Armagh 18/07/2010	Kirkby on Bain GPs, Lincs 06/07/2010	Kirkby on Bain GPs, Lincs 06/07/2010
Cemlyn Bay, Anglesey 18/07/2010	Flamboro Hd, E Yorks 16/07/2010	Attenboro NR, Notts 14/07/2010	Groomsport, Down 27/06/2010	Frampton Marsh RSPB, Lincs 06/07/2010

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Black-headed Gull breeds in the following countries (Bird News Extra subscribers will see population statistics and information on trends for each country):

Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Britain
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Faroe Islands
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greenland
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Macedonia
Moldova
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Serbia and Montenegro
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Svalbard
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine

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	Tricky Gulls: How to Separate Bonaparte's and Black-headed Gull	Thursday 19th April 2007
	Gull-watching can be good fun and one of the rarer species to look out for is the Bonaparte's Gull. This lovely Nearctic gull has a number of subtle differences from the similar Black-headed Gull in all plumages.

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