Old-aged Black-headed Gull seen in Dorset

A Black-headed Gull in Dorset may have become the oldest known individual of its kind on record in Britain.

The code of the metal-ringed bird – EP17324 – was read by Samuel Levy at Poole Park, Dorset, on 12 November. This revealed that it had been fitted with a ring as an adult on 27 October 1990, making it at least 32 years and five months old. The previous longevity record for Black-headed Gull in Britain, set in 2018, is 32 years, three months and 26 days. The record hasn't yet been confirmed by the BTO.

The record-breaking Black-headed Gull in Poole Park (Samuel Levy).

Samuel told BirdGuides: "Since September I have been visiting Poole Park weekly trying to read as many of the metal rings as possible. I have seen EP17324 several times but have always failed to get the beginning sequence, with the bird frustratingly being flushed by dogs or, on one occasion, a colour-ringed Mute Swan.

"But finally on Friday 12 November I read the ring and I had a shock when I entered it into the BTO ringing system – it came back as having been ringed on 27 October 1990 as an adult. Most of the birds that I have read rings of recently have been fitted with them in the last five years.

"It is incredible that this bird was ringed in Poole Park back in 1990 and therefore is likely to have been in the park each winter since. It has never been seen outside of the winter, so who knows how far it is travelling to breeding grounds. What I find more staggering is the fact that this bird is at least 11 years older than I am!

"It was still around on 19 November in the exact same position that I saw it last – obviously it's a good spot for a wise old Black-headed Gull feeding mostly on whatever people throw at it."