Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Silhouette: Hans Hillewaert · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusChroicocephalus (Masked Gulls and allies)
- SpeciesChroicocephalus ridibundus (Black-headed Gull)
About the Black-headed Gull
The black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) is a small gull that breeds in much of the Palearctic in Europe and Asia, and also locally in smaller numbers in coastal eastern Canada. Most of the population is migratory and winters further south, but many also remain in the milder areas of northwestern Europe. It was formerly sometimes cited as "common black-headed gull" to distinguish it from "great black-headed gull" (an old name for Pallas's gull).
The genus name Chroicocephalus is from the Ancient Greek words khroizo, "to colour", and kephale, "head". The specific name ridibundus is Latin for "laughing". The black-headed gull was formally described in 1766 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with the other gulls in the genus Larus and coined the binomial name Larus ridibundus. Linnaeus specified the locality as Mari Europaeo or European seas.
Genetic studies published early in the 21st century showed that the genus Larus was paraphyletic with respect to other gull genera, and extensive changes to the taxonomy of gulls were made with many species of gull removed from Larus and transferred to other... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Black-headed Gull in Biebrza National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Biebrza National Park
Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterus
Whiskered Tern
Chlidonias hybrida
Caspian Gull
Larus cachinnans
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis
Common Gull
Larus canus
Little Gull
Hydrocoloeus minutus
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatus
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus
Little Tern
Sternula albifrons
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Black-headed Gull in Biebrza National Park?
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Gull sighting in Biebrza National Park, based on 1,495 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Black-headed Gull in Biebrza National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Black-headed Gull in Biebrza National Park in our monthly data.