Jet black body/white head and tail

[Sarah Barry]

We saw this bird flying with herring gulls, about the size oa a blackbird, the body and wings were jet black and the haid and tail pure white. No idea what it was, the only suggestion I could come up with was an unusually coloured pigeon! Is there anything else it could have been?

[FUDGEY]

It probably was a blackbird with some White feathers.

[Dogghound]

Where in the UK are you, what was the habitat? can you explain the bodyshape, behaviour?

[FUDGEY]

PerhapS not, just noticed you said it was flying amongst Herring Gulls. That almost certainly rules out blackbird, but possibly a feral pigeon like you said.

[Picidae]

Black Tern moulting into winter plumage or Dunlin also springs to mind - both look contrastingly black and white as you describe in flight and at a relative distance - depends how good your views are and size estimations I guess!

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_lrChV8kyJ4Y/SB...g/P5035255.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vBogFQ9xe4U/SA...E/IMG_3362.JPG

black tern (not a very good example of the moult pattern a bit early - but again, distant views of Black Tern that have commenced head moult can look black bellied with white tail, head etc

Galleriet - Netfugl.dk

I've seen both these species in the field commonly giving that kind of gizz.

Otherwise a feral pigeon or leucistic corvid (although Jackdaw would probably be the only one close to your size estimation)

[mz2832]

My mum saw one in the village she lives in 2 weeks ago. She then either saw the same bird again, or a similar bird, last week but in the next village about 3 miles away. She lives in North Yorkshire, about 70 miles from the coast. It's only the size of a blackbird and has a white head. It's not a wader; not as big as a tern, smaller than a jackdaw.

[mz2832]

Just seen an article from the Mail on-line - 24th August 2009. There is a picture of a leuchistic - part albino - blackbird. I think that's what she's seen. Not that uncommon apparently.