UK Wildlife

Black-headed Gull Inland Colonial Nester

The black-headed gull is the UK's most familiar inland gull, nesting colonially in marshes and lakes and foraging widely on farmland, rubbish tips and urban parks.

Key Facts

Black-headed gull has a dark chocolate-brown hood in summer, not black as the name suggests
UK breeding population around 140,000 pairs, though declined in some regions
Colonial nester in marshy lakes and dune slacks
Inland wintering populations fed by humans in parks and on farmland
Very vocal and aggressive at nest sites, mobbing larger birds and mammals

Welfare Considerations

Black-headed gull colonies require undisturbed nesting habitat. Some traditional colonies have declined with habitat loss. Human feeding in winter creates over-reliance on waste food. Nest site disturbance causes nest abandonment.

What You Can Do

Support nature reserve management that maintains suitable gull nesting habitat
Avoid excessive bread feeding of gulls which provides poor nutrition
Record black-headed gull colonies through seabird monitoring schemes