The black-headed gull is a small gull. It is 14.6-16.9 in (37.1-42.9 cm) in length with a wingspan of 37-43.3 in (94-110 cm).
It has a red bill, a white belly and breast, a soft-gray back, red legs and feet, and gray wings tipped in black.
In breeding season, it has a dark brown face and head. In winter, its head and face are white, and it has a black spot on each side of its head.
Males and females look alike.
The black-headed gull eats a wide variety of food, including insects, fish, earthworms, carrion (dead animals), garbage, seeds, and berries.
The black-headed gull nests in colonies. The nest is usually a scrape (shallow depression in the ground) lined with vegetation and shells.
The female lays 1-3 eggs and incubates them for 22-26 days. Both parents care for and feed the chicks. The chicks fledge (develop flight feathers) at 35 to 42 days old.
Black-headed gulls have a lifespan of 10-13 years in the wild.
The black-headed gull sometimes follows plows and snatches up the insects they disturb.
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The black-headed gull does not breed in New Hampshire, but it can occasionally be spotted in coastal areas of the state in the winter.
The black-headed gull is found in extreme northeastern Canada, Greenland, Iceland, northern Europe, and Asia.
It winters in the southern regions of its breeding grounds, south to Africa and Asia. In the United States, it is sometimes found along the Atlantic Coast in winter.
