, In the hover _
Little Gull in winter_6924 
                                           Barbate, Cadiz, Spain Dec. 2013

The smallest gull in the world, the Little Gull is common across Eurasia. A few pairs have been nesting in North America since the 1960s, and the species is now a rare, but regular, visitor to the East Coast and the Great Lakes.

Always a favourite with birders, Little Gull is an elegant, attractive and charming species that invariably brightens a day's birding. It can be found in Britain year round, although its numbers and distribution vary considerably, both with the season and prevailing weather conditions.

Compact with short legs, short rounded wings, and small bill. Breeding adults have black head, pale grey back, white wingtips, and blackish underwings. Non-breeding adults have a black ear patch and smudgy cap.

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