26th issue
Contributed By: Dr. Mohammed Saiful Alam
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Anatomy
Kokrajhar Medical College & Hospital
Kokrajhar, Assam
Black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
It is a small gull belonging to the family Laridae. They are distributed in Europe, central Asia, Middle East, Africa, Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia and eastern coast of Canada. The adult breeding black-headed gull has a dark chocolate brown frontal hood. The upper parts are pale gray. The throat, breast and the underparts are white. The leading edge of the outer upper wing is white. The primary wing feathers have black tips. In winter, the hood of black-headed gull is lost leaving just two dark spots on ear coverts.