Greater Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

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Adult

Immature

Color Photographs: © by and courtesy of John Cassady

Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 30 inches.

Adult: Head, neck, breast, and undersides white. Bill yellow with a reddish spot near the tip. Back and wings black. Rear margin of wing at its apex white. Tail white. Legs pink.

Immature: Mottled brown. Wings with the inner half mostly light brown. Apical half of the wing and the entire rear margin dark brown. Tail white, flecked with gray-brown with a termainl dark brown band margined on its outside with white.

Similar Species:  The large size of the Great Black-backed Gull and its black wings and back will easily separate this species from other eastern North American gulls. The Western Gull from western North America is nearly identical in appearance. However it is a much smaller bird (24 inches in length).

Breeding Range (see map below): The Great Black-backed Gull is resident along the Atlantic Coast from northern Labrador in the north to the Carolinas in the south. The species also breeds around the Great Lakes. This species is also found in Europe and Asia.

Overwintering Range:  This species overwinters along the Atlantic Coast, but extends southward from its breeding range to Florida.

Habitat: The Great Black-backed Gull is found on coastal beaches and estuaries. The species is less common on inland lakes and rivers around the Great Lakes. This gull also visits garbage dumps and sewage lagoons.

Food: An aggresive predator on birds such as ducklings and marine birds as well as fish and mollusks. Also a scavenger.

Behavior: The Great Black-backed Gull is an aggresive, dominant bird. The species is commonly found in groups of Herring Gulls. The voice is similar to that of the Herring Gull, but deeper in tone.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of 3 brown-blotched olive colored eggs. The eggs are laid in a nest lined with grass.