Wild Wednesday - Black headed gull
This bird is our commonest small gull and is not really a black-headed bird but more chocolate-brown during the summer, which turns white for the rest of the year, with little black spots on either side of the head, which make it look like the bird is wearing headphones!
Its Latin name is Chroicocephalus ridibundus, which means 'laughing ' and comes from its 'ke-ke-ke' and 'kverarrr' calls.
They are sociable, quarrelsome, noisy birds, found almost anywhere inland – farmland, wetlands and coastal areas in the UK. You may see them nesting in large colonies where there is plenty of food, or when they are roosting.
There are about 140,000 breeding pairs in the UK and about 2.2 million wintering birds each year.
It has an average lifespan of 11 to 13 years but can live up to 30. It eats worms, insects, fish and the flesh of dead animals.
How to spot one; look out for silvery-grey above and white below, with red legs, a black, red orange beak and black wingtips. They can be seen all year round.