This gull is as much a land gull as a sea gull, for it nests in large colonies in reedy swamps and bogs far inland, and much of its food is obtained from the fields. It is not well-named. Its head is not black, but a rich chocolate brown for six months of the year, changing in winter to white with a dusky spot on the sides.
It is fond of following the plough where it feeds in excited flocks on the worms and leather jackets which are suddenly exposed. It is our smallest common gull.
