Lesser Black-backed Gull

Larus fuscusOrder: CHARADRIIFORMESFamily: Skuas, Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)
Lesser Black-backed Gull Breeding Adult Portrait
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Range Map for Lesser Black-backed Gull

Overview

Lesser Black-backed Gull: Medium-sized gull with dark gray back and wings. Head, neck and underparts are white. Rump and tail are white. Bill is yellow with red spot near tip. The wings have dark tips with white spots; legs and feet are yellow. Eyes are yellow with red orbital rings.

Range and Habitat

Lesser Black-backed Gull: Eurasian species. Breeds in northern Europe; uncommon but increasingly regular visitor to eastern North America; rarer inland and in the west. Preferred habitats include coastal cliffs, moorlands, and dunes. Spends winters on coasts, estuaries, inland lakes, reservoirs, and rubbish tips.

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Listen:

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Voice Text

"yuk-yuk-yuk-yuckle-yuckle", "hiyak, hiyak, hiyak"

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Related Birds:

Western Gull
Herring Gull
Northern Fulmar
Great Black-backed Gull
Kelp Gull
Slaty-backed Gull
Yellow-footed Gull
.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Family Gull (Laridae)_blue
Species Larus fuscus
Length21 - 22 Inches
Wingspan54 Inches

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull: Medium-sized gull with dark gray back and wings. Head, neck and underparts are white. Rump and tail are white. Bill is yellow with red spot near tip. The wings have dark tips with white spots; legs and feet are yellow. Eyes are yellow with red orbital rings.

● Song: "yuk-yuk-yuk-yuckle-yuckle", "hiyak, hiyak, hiyak"

● Foraging & Feeding: Lesser Black-backed Gull: Feeds on worms, insects, bird eggs and nestlings, fish, shellfish, small mammals, and carrion; also scavenges at landfills and agricultural lands.

● Breeding & nesting: Lesser Black-backed Gull: Three brown or olive to blue green eggs marked with dark brown are laid in a ground nest lined with dry lichens, vegetation, and feathers. Incubation ranges from 24 to 27 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Lesser Black-backed Gull: Herring Gull is paler, larger with shorter legs and thicker bill, and lacks brown mottling on neck and head.

Flight Pattern

Direct flight with strong steady wing beats.
Lesser Black-backed Gull Breeding Adult Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Lesser Black-backed Gull: Eurasian species. Breeds in northern Europe; uncommon but increasingly regular visitor to eastern North America; rarer inland and in the west. Preferred habitats include coastal cliffs, moorlands, and dunes. Spends winters on coasts, estuaries, inland lakes, reservoirs, and rubbish tips.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
PopulationRare to uncommon
MigrationMigratory
Weight27.2 Ounces