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Black-headed Gull Chroicocepahalus ridibundus [Linnaeus, 1766]
Other Names
Trends & Distribution
Breeding & Survival
Biometrics
Books & Links
Order:
Charadriiformes
Family:
Laridae
BTO Codes:
BH , BLHGU
EURING No:
5820
Number in Britain:
128 thousand pairs (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK:
AMBER
European:
Not a species of concern
Global:
Least Concern
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Status in UK:
(A) Migrant/Resident Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies:
Monotypic
.
Length:
36 cm
Wingspan:
105 cm
Weight:
M: 330 g F: 250 g
Scientific name from:
Gr.: kroikos =coloured + kephale =head
and L.: ridere + abundare =abounds
World Distribution:
BREEDS: Europe, n&c Asia, ne North America, WINTERS: south to c Africa, s Asia, e US
Habitat:
Lakes, rivers, moors, grassland, coasts
Diet:
Opportunist, insects, earthworms, also plant material and scraps
TitBit:
Now a common visitor to the garden, the birds habit of venturing into urban areas appears to date only to the 'Little Ice-Age', a run of cold-winters in the 1880s and 1890s when factory workers would feed the birds scraps during their lunch hours
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
No population trend available
Distribution:
New Atlas )
British Population Size:
Summer:
128 thousand pairs
in 1998-02
Winter:
2.1 to 2.2 million indviduals
in 1993
First Record:
1536
Latest Survey:
Mitchell, P.I. et al. (2004) Seabird populations of Britain and Ireland Poyser, London
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
Most frequent in:
Estuaries
Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:
European Population Size:
Summer:
1.3 to 1.7 million pairs
Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WBD(II*), Bern(III)
Survey Results:
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
53 x 37 mm
Egg Weight:
37.5 g (of which 6 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
295
Clutch Size:
2 - 3 eggs
Incubation:
23 - 26 days
by the:
Male + Female
Fledging:
34 - 36 days
as:
Semi-precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid:
Unavailable
Number of Broods:
1
Number Ringed:
5485
Adult Survival:
0.76
Juvenile Survival:
0.447 (to age 2 )
Age at First Breeding:
2
years
Typical Lifespan:
6
years
Maximum Recorded Age:
27yr0m
(Finland: 30yr 7m)
Biometrics
Ring Size:
E
Wing Length
Adult:
305.3 ± 11.8
Range
287 - 323 mm, N =9456
Juvenile:
300.5 ± 11.7
283 - 318 mm, N =790
Male:
312.2 ± 9.0
298 - 326 mm, N =191
Female:
297.1 ± 8.6
281 - 314 mm, N =98
Weight
Adult:
289.3 ± 33.75
Range
240.0 - 348.0 g , N =9111
Juvenile:
285.6 ± 41.69
217.5 - 359.5 g , N =800
Male:
287.9 ± 39.13
245.0 - 345.0 g , N =148
Female:
251.6 ± 28.47 .
200.0 - 307.0 g , N =59
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
Other Names
Previously Larus ridibundis
Gaelic:
Faoileag-a’-chinn-duibh
Welsh:
Gwylan Penddu
Danish:
Hættemåge
Dutch:
Kokmeeuw
Finnish:
Naurulokki
French:
Mouette rieuse
German:
Lachmöwe
Hungarian:
Dankasirály
Icelandic:
Hettumáfur
Irish:
Sléibhín
Italian:
Gabbiano comune
Norwegian:
Hettemåke
Polish:
Smieszka (mewa smieszka)
Portuguese:
Guincho-comum
Spanish:
Gaviota reidora
Swedish:
Skrattmås
Local Names: Petch, Hoodie Maa, Rittick
For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
No books written recently
See Also:
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
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