The Black-headed Gull is primarily a European and Asian species. It was first reported in North America in 1930 and now shows up fairly regularly, especially on the East Coast. A few have nested in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Black-headed was documented sporadically in Texas in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. However, until 2025 it had not been reported in Texas since 2007. I was fortunate to see this species and get a few flight shots near Amarillo, Texas on September 22 and 23, 2025.
Identification of the Black-headed should be made in comparison with the Bonaparte’s with which it frequently associates. The Black-headed is a small gull, slightly larger than Bonaparte’s. It has a dark brown hood (rather than black) in alternate plumage. The bill is slender and straight and slightly larger than the Bonaparte’s. In basic (non-breeding) plumage the head is white with a dark ear-spot and frequently includes dark remnants of the hood. The legs and bill are reddish with a black tip, while the Bonaparte’s has a black bill and pink legs. During the immature and sub-adult phases the Black-headed sports a diffuse “M” on the back and wings, making it one of what I call “the M-birds”. The adult in flight has a white wedge on the top surface of the outer primaries and black undersurface of the middle primaries.
Additional flight photos of the 2025 bird are shown below.
The pictures of Black-headed Gulls in the gallery below were seen in Italy in 2026.
