Lesser Black-backed Gull

Overview

The lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) is a large gull that breeds on the Atlantic and Arctic coasts of Europe and winters from the British Isles to West Africa. It is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, although there is concern about population decline in parts of its range and it features on the UK Amber List due to the concentration of the European population in few breeding sites.

Identification

• Measures 51–64 cm in length with a wingspan of 124–150 cm, appearing smaller and slimmer than the great black-backed gull.
• Adults possess black or dark grey wings and back, with a yellow bill featuring a red gape spot and yellow legs.
• Head appears greyer in winter compared to the great black-backed gull, and wing tips have smaller white mirrors.
• Call is a laughing cry similar to the herring gull but with a markedly deeper pitch.

Habitat

Breeds colonially on coasts and lakes, often making lined nests on the ground or cliffs. It has expanded its range westwards, colonising Greenland in the 1980s and increasing dramatically in North America, where it now occurs year-round in some areas. In cities, it may nest within the urban environment, often in association with herring gulls.

Diet

As an omnivore, it consumes fish, insects, crustaceans, worms, starfish, molluscs, seeds, berries, small mammals, eggs, small birds, chicks, scraps, offal, and carrion.

Did you know?

The bill has a red spot at which the young peck, inducing feeding in the adult parent. The species has not yet bred in an intraspecific pair in the United States, but hybrid pairs with American herring gulls have been recorded.