Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusChroicocephalus (Masked Gulls and allies)
- SpeciesChroicocephalus ridibundus (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". Wikipedia →
5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Gull sighting in Gauja National Park, based on 49 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Gauja National Park
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatus
Little Tern
Sternula albifrons
Common Gull
Larus canus
Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellus
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucos
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropus
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticola
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareola
Jack Snipe
Lymnocryptes minimus
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinago
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Black-headed Gull in Gauja National Park?
About 9% of wildlife watchers report a Black-headed Gull sighting in Gauja National Park, based on 49 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Black-headed Gull in Gauja National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Black-headed Gull in Gauja National Park in our monthly data.