BetterBirding
Bird guideBlack-headed Gull

All plumages have big white blaze on leading edge of wing.

Spot this speciesRead on Wikipedia
⚠️Not listed

At a glance

FamilyGulls, Terns, and Skimmers
SizeMedium
RarityRare
HabitatCan be found in essentially any wet habitat, from duck ponds and farm fields to wild wetlands and seacoasts.
Best timeMost reliable in Northern Territory from March.

Sounds

Sound sample
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Recorded by Franek Owczarek

Range map

Range map

9approx hotspots
107approx records
3states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.

Species notes

Overview

Breeding adult has dark brown (not black) hood, red bill and legs; nonbreeding and immature have dark ear spot on white head, dark tip to red bill. Juvenile has mottled brownish back, which molts to pale gray by winter. Can be found in essentially any wet habitat, from duck ponds and farm fields to wild wetlands and seacoasts. Compared to nonbreeding Bonaparte’s, note Black-headed’s red bill, dark red legs, and more extensive black in underwings.

Behavior

Locally occurs in flocks of hundreds, sometimes thousands. Rare but regular vagrant to North America, especially in the northeast, where usually seen singly among flocks of Bonaparte’s or Ring-billed Gulls.

Gallery

Regional timing

Queensland
Peak: January5 records
Northern Territory
Peak: March74 records
Western Australia
Peak: June16 records
New South Wales
Peak: August1 records

Commonly confused with

Roseate TernSterna dougalliiGraceful pale tern with extremely long forked tail. Named for faint rosy wash on belly. Bill color varies geographically; Old World birds arrive on breeding grounds with a black bill that turns to red, while New World birds arrive with a red bill that turns darker. Similar to Common Tern, but notably whiter wings. With practice, look for shallow, choppier wingbeats to distinguish from other tern species.→Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaLegs black. Nonbreeding plumage shows dark cheek patch. Found in marshier habitats than most other terns, in the Americas usually near the coast but not on the ocean (though also occasionally seen on beaches and mudflats); in Europe and Asia can also be found in wetlands well away from the coast.→Bridled TernOnychoprion anaethetusNonbreeding and immatures have a messy dark nape. Most similar to Sooty Tern but paler gray above with more extensive white tail edges, paler undersides of flight feathers, as well as longer and more slender eyebrow. Also compare with the paler Gray-backed Tern. Bridled Tern is found in warm tropical waters worldwide. It breeds on islands, usually concealed by a large rock or bush. Rarely seen near land except when blown off course by a hurricane.→
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