A gentle looking, medium-sized gull with a small yellow bill and a dark eye. It has a grey back and is white underneath. Its legs are short and black. In flight the black wing-tips show no white, unlike other gulls, and look as if they have been 'dipped in ink'. The population is declining in some areas, perhaps due to a shortage of sandeels. After breeding birds move out into the Atlantic where they spend the winter.
Key ID Features
Often described as having a 'kindly' face, this neat, cliff nesting gull is rarely seen inland.
Summer adults have a pure white head and breast, blue-grey back and spotless black wing tips.
The pale green yellow bill along with dark eye and short black legs make this gull distinctive.
Flying on stiffly held wings, sometimes pushed forward at the elbow, this plunge diver reveals black triangular wing tips on pale outer wings, looking as if 'dipped in ink'.
Winter adults have a dark ear spot and grey nape.
Juveniles have a black or grey neck collar, a black zig-zag pattern on the upper wings and a black tipped white tail.
Overview
Scientific name: Rissa tridactyla
Family: Gulls (Laridae)
Where to see them:
A strictly coastal gull. In the breeding season, look for it at seabird colonies around the UK. In late summer and autumn it can be seen flying past offshore, or gathering at roosts. It spends the winter months out at sea.
Seen in UK:
The best time to see them is on the breeding grounds in spring and summer - they arrive back at the colonies from February, staying until August. Passage birds can be commonly seen offshore from August to October.
What they eat
Fish, shrimps and worms.
Text (c) RSPB, used with permission
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Photographer: Tim Tapley
