One of the 9 gulls on WAnimals
Birds · Charadriiformes · Laridae
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
The lesser black-backed gull is a large gull with a dark grey or blackish back and yellow legs, which breeds in northern and western Europe and spends the winter on the Iberian Peninsula and in West Africa. In Spain it is the most numerous wintering gull at many inland reservoirs, landfills and marshes. Its European population has grown considerably in recent decades.
Weight
550 g – 1.1 kg
Size
48 cm – 65 cm
Lifespan
34 years
Diet
Omnivore
Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Colony
Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- GeneralStrongly migratory: the northern birds winter in Iberia and West Africa.
- In winter it is abundant far inland in Spain: it gathers at reservoirs and landfills in the interior of the peninsula, a long way from the sea, a habit that sets it apart from other large gulls.
- It features in one of the classic ring species cases: the chain of forms encircling the Arctic that links the lesser black-backed gull with the herring gull was used for decades as an example of speciation, although recent genetic data have qualified it considerably.
- It breeds on city rooftops in northern Europe, where the urban colonies now outnumber the coastal ones in several countries.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
- Habitat & environment
- Coasts, islands, marshes and city rooftops of northern Europe; winters in Iberia and West Africa
- Sexual maturity
- 4 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 26 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 3 eggs
Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 24 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Lesser Black-backed Gull — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinus
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Yellow-legged Gull
Larus michahellis
Herring Gull
Larus argentatus
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensis
Whiskered Tern
Chlidonias hybrida
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