Bird Album
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinus Linnaeus, 1758
1.6 kgWeight
The great black-backed gull (Larus marinus) is the largest member of the gull and tern family Laridae.
Busiest months: May and September–October · Most records: United States, Canada, United Kingdom
Where and when it's recorded
Great Black-backed Gull has been recorded at 1,079 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 56 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Parker River NWRUnited States24,335 records
- Edwin B. Forsythe NWRUnited States18,197 records
- Cape Island – South Cape May MeadowsUnited States15,110 records
More places
- Cape Island – Cape May Point SPUnited States13,937 records
- Sandy HookUnited States13,065 records
- Central ParkUnited States11,710 records
- Edwin B. Forsythe NWR – Wildlife DriveUnited States11,615 records
- Hammonasset Beach SPUnited States10,869 records
- Jamaica Bay Wildlife RefugeUnited States9,243 records
- Stewart ParkUnited States9,114 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The great black-backed gull (Larus marinus) is the largest member of the gull and tern family Laridae. It is a very aggressive hunter, pirate and scavenger which breeds on the North Atlantic coasts and islands of northern Europe and northeastern North America. Southern populations are generally sedentary, while those breeding in the far north (northern Norway, northwest Russia) migrate farther south in winter.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Great Black-backed Gull?
The Great Black-backed Gull weighs around 1.6 kg.
Where does the Great Black-backed Gull live?
Its breeding range: North America, Palearctic: North Atlantic coasts, from southwestern, southeastern Greenland, Iceland to northwestern Europe, Svalbard (north of Norway) and Baltic states (northwestern Russia); coastal and inland northeastern Canada to Great Lakes (scarce) and coasts to New Jersey. It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and United Kingdom.
When is the best time to see the Great Black-backed Gull?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May, September and October (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Great Black-backed Gull endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Great Black-backed Gull as Least Concern.
What does the Great Black-backed Gull eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Great Black-backed Gull in?
It belongs to the family Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae), order Charadriiformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 1.6 kg
- Habitat
- Coast & tidal flats
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 478 mm
- Tail
- 186 mm
- Bill
- 79 mm
- Tarsus
- 74 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
North America, Palearctic: North Atlantic coasts, from southwestern, southeastern Greenland, Iceland to northwestern Europe, Svalbard (north of Norway) and Baltic states (northwestern Russia); coastal and inland northeastern Canada to Great Lakes (scarce) and coasts to New Jersey
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Gulls, Terns, Skimmers Laridae
- Genus
- Larus
Other birds in the genus Larus
Pacific GullLarus pacificus
Belcher's GullLarus belcheri
Black-tailed GullLarus crassirostris
Olrog's GullLarus atlanticus
Heermann's GullLarus heermanni
Common GullLarus canus
Short-billed GullLarus brachyrhynchus
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
Yellow-footed GullLarus livens
Western GullLarus occidentalis
Caspian GullLarus cachinnans
Kelp GullLarus dominicanus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Alex Shure. ↗
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