Black-Headed Gull

The Black-Headed Gull is a medium-small gull species in the family Laridae. Adults feature light gray wings with prominent white leading edges, pale underparts, a dark red bill, and matching red legs. During spring and summer, adults display a chocolate-brown head mask that vanishes after autumn molting, leaving behind a small dark spot behind each eye. Highly social and energetic fliers, Black-Headed Gulls nest in noisy, dense colonies situated in marshes, reedbeds, and sheltered islands. Their flexible diet includes terrestrial insects, earthworms stirred up by agricultural plowing, small fish, and scavenged foods. Their adaptability to human environments makes them a common sight in urban waterways and parklands throughout the year.