Scientific name:

Larus ridibundus

About:

Found on farmland, wetlands and around the coast. Nests on saltmarshes, islands in gravel pits and reservoirs, sometimes in very large colonies. A small gull, about 38cm long. Silvery grey above and white below, with a chocolate brown head during the summer.

How to identify:

<p>The commonest small gull, and the first gull to learn before you try to identify any others!</p>

Where:

Common throughout UK

Fantastic facts:

The latin name means ‘laughing gull’, and comes from the laughing call. However there is a Laughing Gull, which lives in North America. The Laughing Gull has a black head, unlike the Black-headed Gull which has a brown head.