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They find their prey on the sea bottom. Do you know what bird it is?

British Birds - Cormorants and Gulls

Meet cormorants and gulls, masters of coastlines and lakes. Learn what they eat, how they move, and the features that help you identify them.

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Fascinating Fact:

Many gulls are opportunistic feeders, and they may gather behind ploughs because turned soil brings worms and insects to the surface.

In Specialist Nature, bird ID is about noticing patterns. Cormorants are expert fishers that often dive and then perch to rest, while gulls are adaptable fliers found from beaches to towns. This quiz helps you spot key features like shape, bill, and behaviour.

Key Terms

Plumage: A bird’s feathers, including their colour and pattern.
Roost: A place where birds rest or sleep, often in groups.
Forage: To search for food, on land, in water, or along the shore.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

How can I tell a cormorant from a shag?

Cormorants are usually bigger, with a heavier look and a clearer pale patch on the face in breeding season. Shags are slimmer, often show a small crest, and can look greener in good light.

Why do cormorants stand with their wings open?

Cormorants often hold their wings out to dry and warm their feathers after diving. This can help them get ready for the next hunt and may also help them regulate body temperature.

What are the easiest ways to identify gulls in the UK?

Start with size and shape, then check leg colour, bill colour and markings, and the pattern on the wing tips when the bird is flying. Many gulls also change appearance as they grow, so age matters too.

Try These Related Quizzes

To see a larger image, click on the picture.

1 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of J J Harrison

Great Black-backed Gull

Common Gull

Great Cormorant

Mediterranean Gull

Group: Cormorants
Binomial: Phalacrocorax carbo
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Phalacrocoracidae
Status: Resident Breeding Species
Feeds on the sea, in estuaries, and on freshwater lakes and rivers.
Breeds mainly on coasts, nesting on cliffs or in trees.
Dive times of 20–30 seconds are common.

2 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Kurt Kulac

European Herring Gull

Black-headed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

European Shag

Group: Gulls
Binomial: Larus argentatus
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Status: Resident Breeding Species
The most abundant and best known of its kind along the shores of western Europe.
Also abundant around inland garbage dumps, and some have even adapted to life in inland cities.

3 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://photo-natur.de/

European Shag

Mediterranean Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Black-headed Gull

Group: Gulls
Binomial: Larus fuscus
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Status: Resident Breeding Species And Passage Migrant
World population is found entirely in Europe.
Increasingly common in urban habitats, even in inland locations such as the West Midlands.

4 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://photo-natur.de/

Black-headed Gull

Little Gull

Black-legged Kittiwake

Mediterranean Gull

Group: Gulls
Binomial: Rissa tridactyla
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Status: Breeding Summer Visitor And Resident Species
Breeds in large colonies on cliffs and is very noisy on the breeding ground.
Is capable of utilizing the very sheerest of vertical cliffs.
They do not scavenge at tips.

5 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Unknown

Little Gull

European Herring Gull

Great Cormorant

Black-legged Kittiwake

Group: Gulls
Binomial: Larus minutus
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Status: Winter Visitor
Small and dainty.
Picks food off the water surface, and will also catch insects in the air.
Adults in summer have black heads, while young birds have a black mark on each wing which forms a 'W' pattern.

6 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://photo-natur.de/

European Herring Gull

Common Gull

Little Gull

European Shag

Group: Cormorants
Binomial: Phalacrocorax aristotelis
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Phalacrocoracidae
Status: Resident Breeding Species
They find their prey on the sea bottom.
Will eat a wide range of fish but their commonest prey is the sand eel.
When they dive, they jump out of the water first to give extra impetus to the dive.

7 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://www.fws.gov/

Great Cormorant

Common Gull

Little Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Group: Gulls
Binomial: Larus canus
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Status: Resident Breeding Species, Winter Visitor & Passage Migrant
Now seen more often in towns and on housing estates in winter.
An old historical name is sea mew.
Global population is estimated to be about one million pairs.

8 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Martin Olsson

Little Gull

Mediterranean Gull

Black-headed Gull

Common Gull

Group: Gulls
Binomial: Larus melanocephalus
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Status: Breeding Summer Visitor
Has colonised Britain, mainly in southern and eastern England.
In winter, migrates to Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts.
A noisy species, especially at colonies, with a nasal 'yeah' call.

9 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://photo-natur.de/

Common Gull

Little Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Black-legged Kittiwake

Group: Gulls
Binomial: Larus marinus
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Status: Resident Breeding Species And Passage Migrant
The largest of its kind in the world.
The call is a deep 'laughing' cry.
Opportunistic and get most of their food from scavenging.
Maximum recorded age is 27 years.

10 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Hans Hillewaert

Great Cormorant

Great Black-backed Gull

Black-headed Gull

Common Gull

Group: Gulls
Binomial: Larus ridibundus
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Status: Resident Breeding Species
Sociable, quarrelsome, noisy birds, usually seen in small groups or flocks.
The eggs are considered a delicacy and eaten hard boiled.
The character 'Kehaar' in Watership Down is this bird.

Author: Sarah Garratty

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