Little Gull

Overview
Little Gull: The smallest of all gulls, with pale gray upperparts and white nape, neck, breast, belly, and tail. Hood is black and extends onto upper neck. Underwings are dark. Bill is dark red with black tip. Legs and feet are red-orange. Strong direct flight with deep wing beats.

Range and Habitat
Little Gull: Breeds in central Europe east to southern Siberia. In recent years, breeds locally in Ontario and Wisconsin; winters regularly in small numbers in eastern North America, especially along coast from New Brunswick to New Jersey and on Great Lakes. Preferred habitats include estuaries, lakes, and coasts.

INTERESTING FACTS
The first record of the Little Gull in North America was in 1819, but the first nest was not discovered until 1962. In North America it is most frequently observed during winter and on migration in groups of one to three, usually associated with larger flocks of Bonaparte's Gulls. It is the only gull that breeds both in the Caribbean and in the North Atlantic Ocean. A group of gulls has many collective nouns, including a "flotilla", "gullery", "screech", "scavenging", and "squabble" of gulls.