Black-headed Gull
Black-headed GullBlack-headed GullBlack-headed GullBlack-headed Gull

Black-headed Gull

Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Silhouette: Hans Hillewaert · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Cairngorms National Park
1,456 Verified sightings at Cairngorms National Park From 2019 to 2026
31,251 Verified sightings across all 47 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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 →

Closest Relatives at Cairngorms National Park

Common Gull
LC

Common Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus canus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
European Herring Gull
LC

European Herring Gull

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Larus argentatus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Lesser Black-backed Gull
LC

Lesser Black-backed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus fuscus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Great Black-backed Gull
LC

Great Black-backed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus marinus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Common Tern
LC

Common Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna hirundo

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Black-legged Kittiwake
VU

Black-legged Kittiwake

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rissa tridactyla

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Arctic Tern
LC

Arctic Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna paradisaea

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Sandwich Tern
LC

Sandwich Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus sandvicensis

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Little Tern
LC

Little Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sternula albifrons

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
European Oystercatcher
NT

European Oystercatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haematopus ostralegus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Northern Lapwing
NT

Northern Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus vanellus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Eurasian Curlew
NT

Eurasian Curlew

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Numenius arquata

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Thingvellir National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
~90%
2 Vatnajokull National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
~70%
3 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
~70%
4 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~70%
5 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~70%
6 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~60%
7 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~50%
8 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~50%
9 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~40%
10 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~40%
11 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~30%
12 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
13 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
14 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~20%
15 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
16 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
17 Gauja National Park 🇱🇻 Latvia
~10%
18 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
19 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
<5%
20 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
21 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
<5%
22 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
23 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
24 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
<5%
25 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
26 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
27 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
28 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
29 Main Ridge Forest Reserve 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
Insufficient data
30 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
31 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data
32 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
33 Plitvice Lakes National Park 🇭🇷 Croatia
Insufficient data
34 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data
35 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
36 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
37 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
38 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
39 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
40 Raja Ampat 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
41 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
42 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
43 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
44 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
45 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
Insufficient data
46 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
47 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Black-headed Gull in Cairngorms National Park?

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Gull sighting in Cairngorms National Park, based on 1,456 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Black-headed Gull in Cairngorms National Park?

June has the highest sighting rate for Black-headed Gull in Cairngorms National Park in our monthly data.

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