Gulls & Terns

Black-headed Gull

Lachmöwe

Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Gulls & Terns11 photosFirst seen: 30 August 2026

The Black-headed Gull is a small, sociable gull common across Europe and much of Asia. It breeds colonially around wetlands and often feeds over fields, shorelines and urban waters outside the nesting season.

ID tip: In breeding plumage the hood is chocolate-brown, not black. Winter adults show a dark ear spot; at all seasons the red bill and legs and white leading edge to the wing are useful.

First seen: 30 August 2026 · Nordende des Zürichsees · 11 photos in the collection.

Places in my records

Locations where this species is supported by a dated first record, an unambiguous single-place outing or a reviewed assignment.

Lake Skadar4 September 2026 Nordende des Zürichsees30 August 2026

Family: Gulls & Terns (Laridae)
Length: 35–39 cm
Wingspan: 86–99 cm
Regional status: Year-round resident (Switzerland)
Conservation: Not Evaluated NEIUCN Red List · retrieved 30 August 2026
Habitat: Lakes, rivers, marshes, coasts, farmland and towns
Diet: Invertebrates, small fish, seeds and food scraps

Built from verified occurrence records, not drawn by hand. Core range = the countries holding 99% of all records; the rest are scattered or vagrant records. Record counts track where people watch birds as much as where the birds are, so the map shows presence, not abundance. Data: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). Basemap: Natural Earth.

Selected photographs

Complete photo archiveAll 11 published photographs of this species, including the selected main gallery.Open all 11 photos in the archive →