Scotland

The Black-headed Gull only acquires its black head during the breeding season. As the first two photos show, out of the breeding season it has a white head with a prominent dark ear spot as well as a dark smudge running vertically through the eye. The third photo shows a bird beginning to show a darker head as we move towards the breeding season.

The other features of note are the bright red legs and the red bill with dark tip.

The Black-headed Gull breeds from south Greenland through Iceland and Europe into Asia. Over most of its range it migrates south to Africa and southern Asia during the northern winter but in Britain it is largely resident throughout the year while some immigrants from northern Europe overwinter here.