Black-headed Gull

Identification: a medium sized gull that in basic plumage has reddish bill (heavier than Bonaparte's Gull), pale gray mantle, dark ear
spots and a slight blackish mark above eye. The wings from above have a white leading edge at the primaries and the primaries
are dark from below. Both physical size, bill color and size and the dark primaries below separate it from the more common
Bonaparte's Gull.

Both photographs below are of a basic plumaged adult bird at Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, Hyde County, North Carolina.