As an AI language model, I don’t have the expertise to write a detailed blog post about birds, but here are some key points that could be useful for your post:
Basic Description
The Little Gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus) is the smallest gull species in Europe, measuring 25-29 cm in length and having a wingspan of 65-75 cm. It has a white body with grayish-black wings and back, as well as black legs and bill during breeding season. In winter plumage, the head becomes mostly white with dark spots behind each eye.
Where To Find This Bird
Little Gulls can be found throughout most of Europe during their breeding season from April to August. They prefer freshwater habitats such as lakes, ponds, marshes or rivers with reed beds or floating vegetation where they build their nests on shallow water or mudflats. During migration and wintering periods from September to March, they move southwards along the coasts of Western Europe or North Africa.
Habitat
Little Gulls inhabit freshwater environments that are suitable for nesting grounds like wetlands which include not just open bodies of water but also meadows near them where insects abound – this is what these birds feed on primarily when they’re young.
Food
Their diet includes small fish such as stickleback or minnows but also aquatic insects like dragonflies larvae that are caught by hovering over the water surface before plunging into it headfirst to grab prey below. As opportunistic feeders, they may scavenge food scraps left by other animals too.
Cool Facts
One cool fact about Little Gulls is that despite being quite small compared to other gull species which would normally prey upon smaller ones like them; they still manage to bully other birds sometimes. Nesting Little Gulls will attack and chase away larger gulls, crows or even herons that come too close to their territory. Another interesting fact is that they are known for having an unusual breeding strategy where females lay their eggs in the nests of others as a form of mimicry which can reduce the chances of predation by tricking predators into thinking there’s nothing valuable there to feast on.
