Lesser Black-Backed Gull
Larus fuscus
Also known as: Black-Backed Gull, Scandinavian Lesser Black-Backed Gull
Habitat
Aquatic
Diet
VertFishScav
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
762 g
About This Species
Look for this dark-backed gull on coastal cliffs, estuaries and increasingly on urban rooftops across Britain and Europe, distinguished from the paler herring gull by its slate-to-blackish upperwings. Many birds migrate south for winter, so summer is the best time to find breeding adults near colonies. It forages widely, following ploughed fields and scavenging opportunistically.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- It nests colonially on cliffs, islands and rooftops, and defending adults can become aggressive toward anyone approaching chicks, so keep a clear distance during the breeding season.
- It is protected under the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and comparable legislation elsewhere in its European range.
- Avoid lingering near nest sites and give roof-nesting colonies in towns a wide berth in summer.
LCAvesCharadriiformesLaridae
Seasonal Activity
6,402,757 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Laridae
Traits
- Diet
- VertFishScav
- Foraging
- Aquatic
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 762 g
Photo
(c) Cody Delano, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Cody Delano
CC-BY-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.