Common Black-headed Gull

Larus ridibundus

Hættemåge

Hættemåge

Short abstract from the book:
The black-headed gull is the most common gull in Denmark with an estimated population of 110,000–125,000 breeding pairs. It is furthermore a very common passage migrant and winter visitor from July to May. In Denmark the first black-headed gull was ringed in 1910, with the majority ringed between 1960 and 1990. The blackheaded gull is the most frequently ringed gull. Forty per cent of the recovered birds were ringed in Jutland, 17 % on Funen, 37 % on Zealand and 4 % on Lolland-Falster. The majority of the recovered birds were ringed as chicks (61 %), but also birds ringed as fully grown in winter have been recovered. Most of the Danish black-backed gulls are migrants. The one-year-old birds are the first to migrate, and these birds are recovered in the Netherlands and the British Isles in June. In July the mean position of one-year-old birds is south of Denmark. The mean position of adult black-headed gulls is south of Denmark in August and that of juveniles in September. The migration is SW, and in autumn most birds are recovered in the Netherlands, Britain and north Germany. From August birds have been recovered from the Bay of Biscay and from October on the Iberian Peninsula. During winter 15 % of the Danish birds have been recovered in Denmark. Outside Denmark most have been recovered in the Netherlands, the British Isles, France, Belgium and Spain. Birds from Jutland are more frequent in the British Isles than those from eastern Denmark. Nineteen Danish birds have been recovered in Africa. The mean position of young birds is further south than that of older birds. The Danish black-backed gulls return to Denmark in March–April. Many one-year-old birds remain abroad in summer, and only 52 % of the summer recoveries of these birds are from Denmark. In the following summer 84 % of the recoveries are from Denmark. Outside the breeding season many gulls from Norway, the countries around the Baltic, and northwest Russia have been recovered in Denmark. The first visitors arrive in late June and the number of visitors increases in August. Many of these birds spend the winter in Denmark. The mean position during summer of birds ringed in Denmark during winter is northeast of Denmark, indicating that the Danish winter population is dominated by foreign birds. The main known cause of death is hunting. Sixty-nine per cent have been shot in Denmark, mainly in August– September

Read more about the species in the chapter from The Danish Bird Migration Atlas here

Ringing data for Common Black-headed Gull

 
Datavisning: genmeldinger    genmeldinger/mærkninger    mærkninger
Sæson: alle    vinter    forår    sommer    efterår
Periode: alle    før 2003    2003 og frem    seneste 365 dage


Data

Birds ringed
Birds ringed 124.636
Ringed as chicks 537 (0,4%)
Recoveries
No. of recoveries 15556
No. of individuals 0
Proportion recovered 0,0%