Black-headed Gull

34-37 cm; span 1.0-1.1 m. Non-breeding: like small Silver Gull with dark tip to scarlet bill, smutty crescent on ear coverts and separate smutty bands over crown and nape; tail white; legs scarlet. Wing-pattern diagnostic: white leading edge, fine black margin to wingtip contrasts strongly with 4-5 white outer primaries. These and grey inner primaries have partial black webs and broad black tips, forming a bold black trailing edge to wingtip. Underside of flight feathers mostly slate-grey, contrasting with black-margined white outer primaries. Breeding Plumage: dark eye and white rear eyelids contrast with chocolate-brown hood; nape white. Juvenile: bill pink tipped black; legs pink-grey; yellow-brown bands across crown and nape; lower hindneck, mantle and wing coverts yellow-brown; centres of feathers on wing coverts black, forming netted pattern. Flight-pattern as adult, except for mottled wing coverts and dusky trailing edge to secondaries. Immature: whiter and greyer; bill orange, tipped black; legs orange-red; smaller marks on crown and ear coverts; mottled wing coverts; underwing pattern like adult except for smutty trailing edge and dark tip to tail. Gregarious and abundant in much of Europe, Eurasia.