What does the Black-headed Gull eat?

The Black-headed Gull's diet shapes where and when you'll find it. Understanding what it eats helps you predict where to look.

Diet overview

Omnivorous and opportunistic, consuming a wide variety of food items including insects (especially earthworms and larvae), small fish, crustaceans, mollusks, carrion, berries, seeds, and human refuse.

How it forages

Highly opportunistic and adaptable. Forages by walking on the ground, probing with its bill, picking items from the surface, hawking insects in flight, and dabbling on the water's surface. Often follows ploughs to catch invertebrates. Known to steal food from other birds (kleptoparasitism).

When it feeds

Diurnal, active during daylight hours for foraging and social interactions. Roosts communally at night, often on water or safe ground.

Explore the Black-headed Gull