The
Gull Family
(Laridae)
Order: Gulls and Terns
(Lariformes)
The Gull Family includes many birds which spend time at sea. They have webbed feet.
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Blackheaded Gull
Larus ridibundus
Blackheaded Gulls are easy to identify, because they have dark heads on a pale body.
The Blackheaded Gull's head isn't really black, but is a dark coffee colour.
The beak and legs are bright red.
During the winter, their heads are white, and they have a dark "ear-spot".
Habitat
They like water, and can be found around the coast, and at inland waters such as marshy ponds and lakes. When migrating, these gulls can be seen in many places on rivers, in fields and in towns.
Blackheaded Gulls like to eat insects, worms and small fish. They will also eat almost any scrap of food and any dead animals they can find.
Blackheaded Gulls breed during the summer. They nest in marshy ponds, where there is lots of overgrown vegetation. They nest in colonies made up of hundreds of Blackheaded Gulls.
Their nest is made of a pile of plant material. They lay three eggs, which are green with brown spots. Both parents "incubate" the eggs, by taking it in turns to keep them warm by sitting on them.
They can be found all over Britain, especially during the summer. Some of them migrate for the winter.
Blackheaded Gulls make various non-stop noises including a scream, and a "krreeah, kwarr, kekkek" sound.
38 cm.
Blackheaded Gulls follow tractors through fields, and eat any little creatures, such as worms and grubs that are ploughed out of the soil.
Herring Gull
Larus argentatus
The feathers of the Herring Gull are white, apart from the soft grey feathers on the back and top of the wings. It has black wing tips.
Herring Gulls have pale pink legs and feet. They have yellow bills, with a red spot on the bottom half.
Habitat
Herring Gulls are usually found on the coasts of Britain, and occasionally found at inland waters.
Herring Gulls eat a range of foods including sand worms, crustaceans, scraps, young birds and eggs.
The nest is a messy mass of grass and seaweed, on the side of a cliff. Three light brown eggs are laid in May.
Herring Gulls are resident to Britain and can be found all year long. Some of them emigrate in September and October.
Herring Gulls make a variety of sounds including cries and screams, and a whining sound.
56 cm.
Herring Gulls often fly around near picnic parties or near people with chips on the sea front promenade, squawking for food to be thrown to them.