Birds are of various sizes, shapes, and colors. What bird comes to mind when you hear the word “white-headed”? Isn’t it most likely gulls? Gulls are those kinds of seabirds that are commonly white in appearance.
Aside from gulls, there are a variety of other birds with whiteheads.
Here are some of the popular birds with white heads.
| Image | Name |
|---|---|
 | Belcher's Gull |
 | Pacific Gull |
 | Ross's Gull |
 | Ivory Gull |
 | Slaty-backed Gull |
 | Iceland Gull |
 | California Gull |
 | Little Egret |
 | White Tern |
 | Black-Legged Kittiwake |
 | Chinese Egret |
 | Whooper swan |
 | Kelp Gull |
 | Herring Gull |
 | Bald Eagle |
 | Snowy Owl |
 | White-tailed Kite |
 | Black-bowed albatross |
 | Great Egret |
 | American White Pelican |
 | Mute Swan |
 | Northern Fulmar |
Which are the Birds with White Heads?
1. Belcher’s Gull
Their scientific name is Belcheri Larus. They measure 49 centimeters in length and approximately weigh up to 567 grams. The wingspan of this bird is 48 inches.
With a 10-16 years life span, the Belcher’s Gull has a white head, gray throat, and greyish-black wings and is also known as the “Band-tailed gull.” These birds can be seen all across the pacific coast of South America.
2. Pacific Gull
They measure up to 58 – 66 cm in length, and their weight varies between 800 grams and 1.1 kg. Their wingspan ranges up to 137-157 centimeters in length, and these birds have a life span of 15-year; besides that, these birds are carnivores.
Pacific Gulls are huge gulls with a white body, black back, and wings native to Australia’s coastlines. They have a broad yellow beak tinged with crimson at the edge. These birds have salt glands in their noses that secrete salty water.
3. Ross’s Gull
Rhodostethia Rosea is the scientific name for this bird. Their body length is 29 – 32 cm, and approximately they weigh up to 120 – 250 grams with wingspans ranging up to 82 – 92 cm in length. This bird has a life span of about 12 years, these birds are carnivorous.
These birds are small gull species found in North America and Siberia. These birds inherit a white body with a grey back and wings limbs in red coloration. They are distinguished from other gulls by a tidy black ring around their neck.
4. Ivory Gull
Pagophila eburnea is the scientific name of this bird, and its body length is 40-43 cm in length (15-19 inches). These birds can weigh up to 450-680 grams, and their wingspans are about 108-120 cm in length (42-47 inches). They live up to 8-17 years.
These birds are the small specie of gulls that are too similar to the pigeons compared to gulls, whereas they mate in the high Arctic. These birds possess a white body with white wings. Their beaks are small and thick, blue with yellow tips, and their eyes have a red ring around them.
5. Slaty-Backed Gull
Their bodies measure up to 55-68 cm in length, and they can weigh up to 567 grams. These birds have a wingspan of about 60 to 75 inches and they have a life span of about 24 years.
The Slaty-backed Gulls are huge, white-headed gulls nest along the Palearctic beaches but roam far and wide throughout the rest of the year. Yellow beaks, small pink legs, white underparts, and dark-grey wings distinguish them.
6. Iceland Gull
Their body length is 50-64 cm, and they can weigh up to 480 grams to 1.1 kilos. Their wingspan can measure up to 115-150 cm, and their life expectancy is ten years.
Iceland Gulls, contrary to taxonomy, do not live in Iceland and are only observed there during the winter. They mate in Greenland and Canada’s Arctic regions. These birds have a white body and grey wings while their limbs are of pink color and the coloration of bills is pale yellow with a red patch.
7. California Gull
Their body length is 46-55 cm, and they can weigh up to 430 grams. Their wingspan can measure up to 122-137 cm. This bird has a life span of about 2 decades.
California Gulls are medium-sized gulls that live in western North America’s wetlands and ponds. These migratory birds migrate to the Pacific coast in the winter. Except for their beak, which is tiny and yellow with a black ring around the edge, they resemble Herring Gulls.
8. Little Egret
Egretta garzetta is the scientific name for this bird. Their body length is 55-65 cm, and they can weigh up to 350 to 550 grams. Their wingspan can measure up to 88-106 cm, and the life expectancy of this bird is ten years.
Little Egrets are little herons with thin necks and mostly white bodies. The limbs of these birds are black while the feet are yellow, and a big beak is a black coloration. They live across Asia, Europe, Australia, and Africa’s wetlands.
9. White Tern
Their body length is 35-43 cm, and their weight ranges from 92 to 139 grams. They have a wingspan that can measure 76-87 cm in length. The life expectancy is 36 years.
White Terns, also known as “fairy terns,” “angel terns,” and “white noddy,” are little sea birds that may be found throughout the tropical oceans. Their beak is long and black, and their body is white with white feathers. These birds normally build their nests in short-branched trees.
10. Black-Legged Kittiwake
Rissa tridactyla is the scientific name for this species. Their body length ranges from 37-41 cm, and their body weight ranges from approximately 305-525 grams. The wingspan of these birds is about 35 to 40 inches in length. They have a life span of about one decade.
These birds are considered to be coastal birds that can be seen along the Atlantic Ocean’s northern coastlines. The overall body and head of these birds are white along with a yellow beak, black limbs, and wings in grey coloration.
The Red-legged Kittiwakes, a subspecies of them, are similar except for their legs.
11. Chinese Egret
Egretta eulophotes is the scientific name for this bird. Her length is 68 centimeters, and they weigh up to 390–540 grams. Their wingspan is 99-114 centimeters. They can live up to 14-years.
The Chinese Egret, sometimes known as the “Swinhoe’s egret,” is a South Asian bird that breeds along the coasts of Siberia, China, and North and South Korea. They have a white body with white feathers and wings, long legs, and a large, pointed beak.
12. Whooper Swan
Cygnus is the scientific name for this species. 140 – 165 cm in length (55 – 65 inches). Weight ranges from 7.4 to 14 kilos. Their wingspan is 205 – 275 cm in length their life expectancy is ten years.
This bird possesses a white body and an elongated neck while its legs are shorter. Their little eyes are placed immediately beside their half-yellow, half-black beaks.
13. Kelp Gull
Their bodies measure up to 54 – 65 cm in length (21 – 26 inches), and they can weigh up to 540 grams to 1.3 kilograms. Their wingspan is 128 – 142 centimeters, and their life expectancy is ten years.
Kelp Gulls are also called “Dominican gulls” and “southern black-backed gulls” in different parts of the world.
Lesser Black-Backed Gulls have significant similarities to these birds, with an overall white body with dark grey wings. Their legs are greenish-yellow, and their beak is yellow.
14. Herring Gull
Their body measures up to 55 – 67 cm in length, and their WeightWeight varies between 750 grams and 1.5 kilos. The wingspan of this bird is 125 – 155 cm in length. Life expectancy is 10 to 20 years.
Herring Gulls, sometimes known as European Herring Gulls, are the most well-known gull species in the world.
White on the head and underparts, grey on the wings and upperparts. They have a bill that is yellow with a red patch. They live permanently along the North Sea coast, in the United Kingdom, Iceland, and Ireland, but move to other world areas.
15. Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus is the scientific name for this species.30-37 inches is the average length of this bird. Their wingspan is approximately 3-6.3 kilos in Weight. Their wingspan is 72-90 inches. Life expectancy is 20-30 years.
Their heads are white and fuzzy, while the remainder is dark brown.
The beaks and irises of these birds are of the same golden color. They build their nests in old-growth trees closer to places with plenty of food. Females are somewhat bigger than their male counterparts.
16. Snowy Owl
Their body length is 52-71 cm, and their weight ranges between 1.6 and 2.9 kilos. The wingspan of these birds is 126-145 cm in length. The life span of this snowy owl is about one decade.
Snowy owls, often known as “Arctic owls” or “Polar owls,” are fairly huge. The tundra areas of North America are home to these diurnal birds. Their bodies are a shade of pristine white, with brown-black stripes on their wings. Their eyes have a brilliant golden color.
17. White-tailed Kite
Elanus leucurus is the scientific name for this bird. The body length of these birds ranges from 25-43 cm (14-to 17 inches), and they can approximately weigh up to 250-380 grams in weight.
The wingspan of these birds is 35-40 inches in length, and the life expectancy of these birds is 5.9 years. These birds are carnivores, which means they rely on smaller animals and meat for their subsistence.
White-tailed Kites are tiny raptors that may be found throughout western North America and portions of South America. They are white, like gulls, and have falcon-like bodies and postures. Their grey wings feature black tips and white upperparts and underparts.
18. Black-bowed albatross
Thalassarche melanophris is the scientific name for this species. The body length of these birds ranges from 88-93 cm, and they can approximately weigh up to 3-5 kilos. The wingspan of these birds is 240 cm in length and the life expectancy of these birds is 70 years.
The Black-bowed Albatross, also known as the “black-browed mollymawk,” is a big seabird found in the southern oceans. Their bodies are white, with black backs and wings, pink beaks, and white legs.
19. Great Egret
Ardea alba is the scientific name for this bird. The body length of these birds ranges from 80-104 cm, and these birds can weigh up to seven hundred grams to 1.5 kilograms. Their wingspan is 52-67 inches in length, and these birds can live up to 15-years.
Great Egrets may be found in America, southern Europe, Asia, and Africa and are distinguished by their S-shaped neck. They feature a white body with black legs and feet and yellow bills.
20. American White Pelican
Pelicans erthrorhynochos is the scientific name for this bird. The body length of these birds ranges from 130-180 (50-70 inches), and these birds can weigh up to approximately 12 kilos in weight. Their wingspan is around 9 feet, and these birds can live up to 16 years.
The American White Pelican is a huge, flying bird that may be found across Central, South, and North America. They are America’s biggest native bird. They have a huge, plump body with white coloration. Their beaks are brilliant yellow, and their legs are a dark shade of the same color.
21. Mute Swan
Cygnus olor is the scientific name for this bird, and their bodies can measure up to 125-170 cm in length (49-67 inches). These birds can weigh up to approximately 8-12 kilos, and the length of their wingspan is around 6-7 feet.
The life expectancy is between 15 and 20 years. These birds have a diverse range of diets because these birds are omnivores.
Mute Swans are a swan species native to Eurasia and Africa and imported to North America and other areas of the world. Their bodies are completely white, with a little brownish color on their heads. The beaks of these birds are orange in color and have a huge black knob on them.
22. Northern Fulmar
The length of these birds is 46 cm (18 inches), and their weight ranges from 450 grams to one kilogram. The wingspans of these birds are 40-44 inches in length, and their life expectancy is 60 years.
In certain areas, the Northern Fulmars are sometimes referred to as “Arctic Fulmars.” These seabirds are predominantly found in the subarctic areas of the North Pacific and belong to the petrel and prions families. They have a big yellow beak, a white head, grey wings, and bluish legs.
Conclusion
Many birds have whiteheads, and we have tried to discuss a few such birds. Their physical features are discussed, and the birds’ common abodes are also discussed.
FAQ
Pacific gulls are native to which continent?
Pacific gulls are pretty common in Australia.
What is the other name for northern fulmar?
Northern fulmar is also known as arctic fulmars.
The mute swan is native to which area?
Mute swans are native to Eurasia.
Which are America’s biggest native birds?
American white pelicans are America’s biggest native birds.
Last Updated on March 22, 2023 by Lily Aldrin
