Black-headed gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundus (Linnaeus, 1766)
The black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) is a small bird in the family Laridae and the order Charadriiformes. Adults weigh from 254 to 294 g, with a representative mass of 271.7 g and a wingspan of 97 cm.
Quick facts about the black-headed gull
It is a carnivorous aquatic predator of wetland habitats and is partially migratory. It lays one clutch per year with 2.7 eggs per clutch, incubated for 23.25 days, and it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
- Weight
- 254 g – 294 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 97 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 31.3 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 63 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 23.3 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2.7src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 24 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Partialsrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the black-headed gull?
Photos of the black-headed gull
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the black-headed gull live?
Not recorded
What is 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".
From the Wikipedia article “Black-headed gull” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black-headed_gull&oldid=1377723203), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the black-headed gull sound like?
Is the black-headed gull endangered?
The black-headed gull is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the black-headed gull classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyLaridae
- genusChroicocephalus
- SpeciesChroicocephalus ridibundus (Linnaeus, 1766)
Synonyms Chroicocephala ridibundus, Chroicocephalus capistratus, Chroicocephalus ridibundus lavrovi, Chroicocephalus ridibundus ridibundus, Chroicocephalus ridibundus ridibundus, Croicocephalus ridibundus, Larus capistratus, Larus kittlitzii, Larus ridibundus, Larus ridibundus minor, Larus ridibundus ridibundus, Larus ridibundus sibiricus, Larus slesvicensis, Larus slesvicensis, Larus slesvicensis, Sterna brunnea, Sterna obscura, Sterna obscura, Xema pileatum
Other names and names in other languages (132)
- לאַך־מײװEnglish
- Blackheaded gullEnglish
- Common black-headed gullEnglish
- SwartkopmeeuAfrikaans
- نورس أسود الرأسArabic
- النورس أسود الرأسArabic
- نورس اسود الرأسArabic
- Gaviota redideraAragonese
- Gavilueta GlayadoraAsturian
- Adi qağayıAzerbaijani
- LochméwenBavarian
- Чайка-рыбачкаBelarusian
- Речна чайкаBulgarian
- কালামাথা গাঙচিলBangla
- Ar gouelan penn duBreton
- Gouelanig maskl duBreton
- Gavina vulgarCatalan
- Gavina d'HivernCatalan
- gavina rialleraCatalan
- КолшӹреMari
- ЧарлăкChuvash
- Ахаль чарлӑкChuvash
- Кӳлӗ чарлăкӗChuvash
- racek chechtavýCzech
- Bran y MôrWelsh
- Gwylan BendduWelsh
- Gwylan BenllwydWelsh
- Gwylan GoesgochWelsh
- Gwylanod Llyn ConwyWelsh
- Gwylanod PendduWelsh
- HættemågeDanish
- LachmöweGerman
- Boakalhu GohorukeyDivehi
- CrucalettaEmilian
- ΧωραφόγλαροςGreek
- Καστανοκέφαλος ΓλάροςGreek
- ridmevoEsperanto
- Gaviota reidoraSpanish
- Gaviota encapuchadaSpanish
- Gaviota reidora de EuropaSpanish
- naerukajakasEstonian
- Antxeta mokogorriBasque
- Antxeta mokogorriaBasque
- کاکایی سرسیاه کوچکPersian
- naurulokkiFinnish
- fransaternaFaroese
- Mouette rieuseFrench
- Suarthoodet kubNorthern Frisian
- KobWestern Frisian
- SléibhínIrish
- Faoileán an chaipínIrish
- cinn-dubhanScottish Gaelic
- ceann-dubhanScottish Gaelic
- Faoileag a'chinn dhuibhScottish Gaelic
- faoileag dhubh-cheannachScottish Gaelic
- faoileagan dubh-cheannachScottish Gaelic
- Fhaoileag a'chinn duibhScottish Gaelic
- Gaivota choronaGalician
- Foillan kione dooManx
- Foillan kione-dooManx
- שחף אגמיםHebrew
- riječni galebCroatian
- dankasirályHungarian
- Որոր սովորականArmenian
- Սովորական որորArmenian
- Camar perakIndonesian
- Camar kepala hitamIndonesian
- Camar Kepala-HitamIndonesian
- HettumáfurIcelandic
- Gabbiano comuneItalian
- ユリカモメJapanese
- 百合鴎Japanese
- ტბის თოლიაGeorgian
- NasalikKalaallisut
- Кÿрен пастығ хайлахkjn
- Кєл шағаласыKazakh
- Көл шағаласыKazakh
- 붉은부리갈매기Korean
- ScrawCornish
- LaachméiwLuxembourgish
- rudagalvis kirasLithuanian
- lielais ķīrisLatvian
- трӓкMari
- колшыреMari
- трäкMari
- Обичен галебMacedonian
- езерски галебMacedonian
- ചെറിയ കടൽക്കാക്കMalayalam
- ചെറിയ കടല് കാക്കMalayalam
- Gawwija Rasha KannellaMaltese
- Хүрэн толгойт цахлай - ᠬᠦᠷᠡᠩ ᠲᠣᠯᠣᠭᠠᠢᠢᠲᠣ ᠴᠠᠬᠣᠯᠠᠢMongolian
- KokmeeuwDutch
- hettemåseNorwegian Nynorsk
- hettemåkeNorwegian
- Kahela EuropeoPapiamento
- Meuwchi OropeoPapiamento
- Mewa śmieszkaPolish
- (mewa) śmieszkaPolish
- ŚmieszkaPolish
- guinchoPortuguese
- Gaivota-de-capuz-escuroPortuguese
- garrincho-comumPortuguese
- guincho-comumPortuguese
- Muetta rientaRomansh
- Pescăruş râzătorRomanian
- Pescăruș râzătorRomanian
- Озёрная чайкаRussian
- Обыкновенная чайкаRussian
- Озерная чайкаRussian
- Речная чайкаRussian
- Рыболов обыкновенныйRussian
- GahperbáiskiNorthern Sami
- gahpirbáiskiNorthern Sami
- čajka smejiváSlovak
- rečni galebSlovenian
- Pulebardha e zakonshmeAlbanian
- Obični galebSerbian
- Обични галебSerbian
- Obicni galeb - Обични галебSerbian
- skrattmåsSwedish
- Shakwe Kichwa-kahawiaSwahili
- கருந்தலை கடல் காக்கைTamil
- క్రోయికోసెఫాలస్ రిడిబండస్Telugu
- นกนางนวลขอบปีกขาวThai
- Karabaş MartıTurkish
- Хөл ак-кускунуTuvinian
- Звичайний мартинUkrainian
- мартин звичайнийUkrainian
- Mòng biển đầu đenVietnamese
- 红嘴鸥Chinese
- 紅嘴鷗Chinese
- 紅嘴鷗〔黑頭鷗〕Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the black-headed gull
Other species in the same genus Chroicocephalus.
Slender-billed gull
Chroicocephalus genei
Brown-headed gull
Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus
Silver gull
Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae
Bonaparte's gull
Chroicocephalus philadelphia
Andean gull
Chroicocephalus serranus
Grey-headed gull
Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
CompareBlack-headed gull vs Slender-billed gullBlack-headed gull vs Brown-headed gullBlack-headed gull vs Silver gullBlack-headed gull vs Bonaparte's gull
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the black-headed gull?
The black-headed gull is a bird in the family Laridae, order Charadriiformes. Its size class is small.
How heavy is a black-headed gull?
Adult Black-headed gulls weigh from 254 to 294 g, with a representative value of 271.7 g. The wingspan is 97 cm.
What does the black-headed gull eat?
The black-headed gull is a carnivore classed as an aquatic predator.
Is the black-headed gull endangered?
No. It is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does a black-headed gull live?
Sources give a lifespan of 31.33 years for the black-headed gull, with values up to 63 years reported.
How many eggs does a black-headed gull lay?
The black-headed gull lays 2.7 eggs per clutch and one clutch per year. The eggs are incubated for 23.25 days.
Does the black-headed gull migrate?
Yes, the black-headed gull is partially migratory.
Who named the black-headed gull?
The black-headed gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus, was named by (Linnaeus, 1766).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-headed-gull
“Black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-headed-gull.
@misc{black_headed_gull_2026,
title = {Black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-headed-gull},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}