Scientific name: Larus melanocephalus Temminck, 1820
Bird group: Gulls and Terns
Field characters. 37 cm. One of the larger black-hooded gulls. Slightly bulkier and larger than Black-headed Gull. Plumage is white with a jet-black 'hood'; at closer range, wings and back have pearly grey wash. Bill is scarlet with black band, legs are bright blood-red. The heavy, decurved bill and the fully white primary-tips diagnose adult at all seasons. In winter, head white with black patch around eye and on ear-coverts; nape speckled with grey. Unlike juvenile Black-headed Gull, juvenile Mediterranean Gull has largely whitish head with only a hint of light grey behind eye (but gets dark eye-patch in first winter plumage); neck, rump and underparts white; sides of breast speckled brown. Upperparts including nape scaled white on dark brown ground; greater coverts pale grey; tail white with brown-black terminal band; legs and bill black. Juvenile Common Gull looks similar but is more brownish and lacks conspicuous pale middle-band on wings, legs grey to flesh-coloured.
Voice. Silent outside breeding-season; when breeding, frequently utters a deep-toned bisyllabic "kee-ow".
Distribution. Very common breeder on a few localities in Black Sea. As a passage migrant and winter visitor, is fairly common in southern Europe; rare but increasing in numbers in the western part of the region.
Habitat. Breeds on open and dry lowland with sparse vegetation near water; outside breeding season mainly coastal.
Food. During breeding season predominantly insects and worms; when wintering and on migration, mainly fish, caught by up-ending or surface-plunging; also some molluscs.