Black Headed BirdsDescription. The black-headed gull is a small gull. It is 13-15 inches in length with a wingspan of 39-42 inches. It has a red bill, a white belly and breast, a soft. The Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) is a small gull which breeds in much of Europe and Asia, and also in coastal eastern Canada. Most of the. Identifying small black-headed gulls. A hooded gull in summer is likely to be the ubiquitous Black-headed Gull. Seagull facts and information. Information about. North American Seagulls. This site contains information and facts about and on gulls that live in, or visit North America. Here you will find information and facts on where these gulls live, their nesting habits, diet, and migration patterns. While the information and facts on gulls that I have posted is not all- inclusive, I have done my best to list as much pertinent information and facts that I could find. My hope is that my site will make your reseach on gulls much easier.
Click the following link for facts and information on how gulls fly. In all actuality, there is no such thing as a seagull. There is not actually a single species called the seagull, but people all over the world refer to them as seagulls. They are actually, and correctly, referred to as “gulls.” Gull's are most closely related to the terns (family Sternidae) and only distantly related to auks, and skimmers, and more distantly to the waders. Most gulls however, belong to the large family named Laridae. The word Laridae is from the Greek word meaning “ravenous sea bird.” The term “Seagull” can be misleading because many species of gulls live, feed, and nest inland. Gulls can be found around the oceans worldwide with the exception of some central Pacific islands, and some areas in Southeast Asia. I never saw a single gull while I was living on Oahu. The gulls are relatively uniform in shape but do vary in size and coloration. Gulls are the acrobats of the sky, making the seemingly impossible antics appear effortless. They can float motionless in midair by catching wind currents with perfect timing and precision while positioning their bodies at just the right angle. It is most often seen in large, noisy flocks congregating wherever food is available. They can almost always be found around fishing boats, picnic grounds, parking lots and garbage dumps. Many people consider the gull to be a nuisance, but they actually perform a very valuable service. They are garbage men (sanitation engineers for the politically correct) with wings. They scavenge up great numbers of dead animals and organic litter which could pose a health threat to humans. The information listed on this page is by no means an exhaustive work on seagulls. It is simply intended to assist you in identifying the various types of seagull's that live in or visit North America. They have a white head and body. Their backs are grey, and their grey wings are tipped solid black. They have black legs and a yellow bill. The hind toe on their foot is only a tiny bump, giving the bird its scientific name Rissa tridactyla, meaning “three- toed” (instead of four on each foot). In the winter they acquire a dark grey smudge behind their eyes and develop a grey hind- neck collar. Their name is derived from its call which sounds like a shrill 'kittee- wa- aaake, kitte- wa- aaake'. They like to feed in flocks and catch their food at the surface of the water. They also dive just below the surface of the water to catch their prey, making them one of the few gulls that dives and swims underwater. They breed in large, noisy colonies on cliffs. A typical nest is lined with moss and seaweed and will contain up to two eggs. Breeding and nesting time frame is usually in July to August. Kittiwakes are born white and develop a distinctive black “W” band across the length of their wings as they become a juvenile. As an adult, the black “W” is replaced with a solid gray color and only the tips remain black. The black- legged kittiwake has a life expectancy of about 1. This small gull has an adult body that is roughly 1. This gull has a dark gray to black head and bill, a white neck, gray body and wings, and bright orange- red legs and feet. While inland during the summer, they feed chiefly on insects that they capture in the air, pick from croplands, or gather from the surface of lakes or ponds, Bonaparte's gulls migrate south to spend the winter on the Pacific coast where they feed on small fish, crustacea, snails and marine worms. Breeding and nesting time frame for Bonaparte's Gulls is usually in July to August. They nest singly or in loose colonies located on islands or lakeshores. The fir or spruce tree is the most common choice for nesting. Bonaparte's Gulls have a life expectancy of up to 1. Their head is white with a yellow bill. The neck and under parts are also white. The gull's back and wings are dark gray. The legs and feet are a greenish- yellow color. Breeding and nesting time frame for California Gulls is usually in May to July. The nest is typically a shallow depression on the ground lined with vegetation and feathers. The female gull normally lays 2 or 3 eggs. Both parents will take turns feeding the young birds. The California Gull is a “four- year gull,” in that it takes four years for them to reach adult plumage. They range far inland from New Mexico to Manitoba. They prefer to eat insects, fish and eggs, however, they are well known for scavenging at garbage dumps or docks. They have also been seen to follow farmers plowing in fields, eating the insects stirred up by this activity. It starts at one end of a huge swarm of flies sitting on the beach and runs through the flies with its head down and bill open, snapping up flies. California Gulls have a life expectancy of up to 2. The summer adult has a chocolate- brown head (not black, despite the name), the body and wings are pale grey, with black tips on the primary wing feathers. The bill is red with a black tip, and the legs are also red. The “black” hood is lost in winter, leaving just a dark vertical streak or spot behind the eye. Setting the Common Black Headed Gull apart from the other “hooded” gulls is the fact that they do no actually have a black head during breeding season. It is a small gull which breeds in much of Europe and Asia, and also in coastal eastern Canada. Most of the population is migratory, preferring to winter further south, but some birds in the milder westernmost areas of Europe do not migrate. Some birds that reside in eastern Canada will also spend the winter in the northeastern United States. Breeding and nesting time frame for Common Black Headed Gulls is usually in April to May. Their nest is typically a shallow depression on the ground lined with vegetation and feathers. The female gull normally lays 2 or 3 eggs. Both parents will take turns feeding the young birds. They prefer to eat insects, small fish, small berries and earthworms. They have been known to follow fishing boats, plunge- diving for smaller fish. They also like to follow plows tilling in fields eating the earthworms and other invertebrates stirred up by this activity. Common Black Headed Gulls have a life expectancy of up to 1. Their head is black with a distinctive small white ring around the eyes. The bill is orange with a black spot near the tip. Their gray wings have a white border and black tips. Their legs and feet are red- orange. Their nests are floating masses of rushes, cattails, and grasses built in shallow water and usually attached to emergent vegetation. Franklin's Gulls form monogamous pair bonds for the duration of the nesting season. Both members of the pair help build the nest and incubate the 3 eggs for about 2. Both parents feed the young and brood them, taking turns so that one parent is present at all times. The Franklin's Gull nests primarily along lakes and marshes in the northern prairie regions of central Canada and north- central United States. The Franklin's Gull is unique among other gulls in that it has two complete molts each year rather than one. They prefer to eat insects, spiders, small fish, and small berries. They also like to follow plows tilling in fields eating the earthworms and other invertebrates stirred up by farmers. Their wingspan can reach 5. The Glaucous Gulls are very pale in all plumages, with a white head and underparts. The bill is yellow with a red spot near the tip of the lower mandible. The back and wings are light gray with no black in the wings or tail. A juvenile Glaucous gull will have light gray and brown coloration. The Glaucous Gull is a “four- year gull,” in that it takes four years to reach adult plumage. A Glaucous Gull nest is a shallow depression made in a mound of grass, sedge, moss, or twigs. They have little to no lining in them. One to three eggs are laid and both parents share the nest sitting duties for the incubation period. Both parents take turns feeding the chicks for up to 2 months. The young leave the nest on foot a few days after hatching. They migrate south to the upper portions of the United States for the winter. The Glaucous is one of the most predatory gulls, capturing and eating auks, plovers, ptarmigans, small ducks and birds as well as fish. It is also known to be scavenger, feeding on garbage and dead animals. The Glaucous Gull has been seen to walk into bird colonies to steal eggs and chicks that have been left unprotected. It is a large bird (although smaller than a Glaucous Gull) whose body will reach roughly 2. Their wingspan can reach 4. They have a white head and underparts, but unlike the Glaucous Gull however, the Glaucous- Winged Gull has medium gray wings. Like the Glaucous Gull, the Glaucous- Winged Gull also has a yellow bill with a red spot near the tip of the lower mandible. The Glaucous- Winged Gull is a “four- year gull,” in that it takes four years to reach adult plumage. Nesting is usually in colonies where the chicks are safest from predators, and birds first breed at four years of age. Nests are usually on the ground or in protected rocky formations. The nest is a shallow depression with a ring of vegetation and nearby debris. Both parents incubate the 2- 3 eggs for about four weeks. Newborn chicks are covered in down and may leave the nest as soon as two days post- hatching, although they stay near the nest where the parents can protect them. Both parents feed the young, which first begin to fly at 5- 7 weeks old, and then leave the colony about 2 weeks after they've learned to fly. Black- headed Gull . Searches for food while walking or swimming, or swoops down to take items from surface while flying; sometimes catches insects in high flight. Black- headed Gulls also steal food from each other and from other birds. Eggs. 2- 3, sometimes 1- 4. Variable, gray- green to tan or yellowish, blotched with brown or olive. Incubation is by both sexes, 2. Young: Both parents feed young. Young may leave nest after about 1. Young. Both parents feed young. Young may leave nest after about 1. Diet. Omnivorous. Eats mostly animal material, including wide variety of insects, also earthworms, marine worms, mollusks, crustaceans, small fish, carrion. During summer may eat many seeds and small fruits. Nest site is usually on ground among vegetation, sometimes on bare soil or above ground. Nest (built by both sexes) usually a scrape lined with bits of plant material, sometimes a mound with depression at top.
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