The incubation time is 23-26 days. In the lowlands on cultivated fields, it feeds on insects, worms, and seeds. For example, many gull colonies display mobbing behavior, attacking and harassing predators and other intruders. On the beach, it feeds mostly on invertebrates, small fish, and fish waste. The gull then regurgitates the mouse and dips it in the water. The black-headed gull is found all-around Iceland and is often spotted near the seashore and in harbors but is also found in cultivated areas in the lowlands. The head of a gull may be covered by a dark hood or be entirely white. Red legs. Not noticable at all except by an eye doctor. Learn more about Icelandic birds in our article section, See more in the Handbook of the Birds of the World, Learn more on the Natural History of Iceland Site, Author: Dr. Þórður Örn Kristjánsson [13], Most gulls breed once a year and have predictable breeding seasons lasting for three to five months. They breed on every continent, including the margins of Antarctica, and are found in the high Arctic, as well. This initially led them to believe that the female was washing off the mouse after it had been transported to the breeding area. Large white-headed gulls are typically long-lived birds, with a maximum age of 49 years recorded for the herring gull. Prey can be obtained in the air, on water, or on land. It has webbed feet, which are as the beak, red on adult birds. Young chicks are brooded by their parents for about one or two weeks, and often at least one parent remains with them, until they fledge, to guard them. [citation needed], Gulls have only a limited ability to dive below the water to feed on deeper prey. Among those of them that have been confirmed as gulls, Milne-Edwards' "Larus" elegans and "L." totanoides from the Late Oligocene/Early Miocene of southeast France have since been separated in Laricola. The type of food depends on circumstances, and terrestrial prey such as seeds, fruit, and earthworms are more common during the breeding season while marine prey is more common in the nonbreeding season when birds spend more time on large bodies of water. Many species breed in coastal colonies, with a preference for islands, and one species, the grey gull, breeds in the interior of dry deserts far from water. Note unique wing pattern: several outer primaries white with black tips. Eye floaters can usually be seen when looking at plain, light-colored backgrounds (such as a wall or the sky) and may appear black, gray, white, or “see through.” Why Do I See Eye Floaters? [11] Others rely on kleptoparasitism to get their food. Some migrate long distances, like Franklin's gull, which migrates from Canada to wintering grounds in the south of South America. By wetting the mouse, the gull ensures that the mouse does not become lodged in its throat. Adults in breeding plumage show black head. Take Merlin with you in the field! Larger gulls tend to do more feeding in this way. The black-headed gull is delicate with a characteristic dark brown hood on its head when wearing summer plumage. Gulls have moderately long legs, especially when compared to the similar terns, with fully webbed feet. [5] The large species take up to four years to attain full adult plumage, but two years is typical for small gulls. No gull species is a single-prey specialist, and no gull species forages using only a single method. This means the first two chicks are born close together, and the third chick some time later. The black-headed gull is 15-17 in long with a 37-41 in wingspan and weighs about 11 oz. They typically have harsh wailing or squawking calls; stout, longish bills; and webbed feet. He has forwarded him on to a specialist that we will be seeing on Monday morning. Gulls have been observed preying on live whales, landing on the whale as it surfaces to peck out pieces of flesh. Still, there can be found colonies in the lowland on dry sands or moors. Gulls on the wing also snatch items both off water and off the ground, and over water they also plunge-dive to catch prey. Some have traditionally been considered ring species, but recent evidence suggests that this assumption is questionable. The wings are short with white spotted black tips. The eggs are olive green with dark spots and weigh about 1.4 oz each. Although it has the name ‘Black-headed’, its head is actually a dark chocolate brown colour in the summer and in winter its head is mainly white with only a dark spot behind each eye. During winter, a few thousand black-headed gulls stay at the seashore in the south and southwest Iceland. [13], Gulls that are known to reside in areas where there is a season of plentiful mice have, over the centuries, developed a specialized method of eating them. [14], Gulls are highly adaptable feeders that opportunistically take a wide range of prey. The male is a little bigger than the female, which is common among Charadriiformes. Gulls are typically coastal or inland species, rarely venturing far out to sea, except for the kittiwakes. albatrosses, fulmars, terns, and skuas) may also be referred to as seagulls by the layperson. [23] Until recently, most gulls were placed in the genus Larus, but this arrangement is now known to be polyphyletic, leading to the resurrection of the genera Ichthyaetus, Chroicocephalus, Leucophaeus, Saundersilarus, and Hydrocoloeus.

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