Summary ⁷

The Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus), also known as the Greater Black-backed Gull or, informally, as the Black-back, is the largest member of the gull family. It breeds on the European and North American coasts and islands of the North Atlantic and is fairly sedentary, though some Black-backs move farther south or inland to large lakes or reservoirs.

Taxon biology ⁸

The great black-backed gull is largest species of gulls in the world. With its wing span of 170 centimeters and their enormous beak, they look very impressive. They also make a much lower and raspier sound than the other gulls. In 1993, they nested in the Netherlands for the first time. Since then, there have been a number of nesting pairs every year. Greater black-backed gulls eat fish, shellfish and other molluscs, worms and insects. They will also hunt other birds, such as the manx shearwater, little auks and puffins. Due to their size, they easily steal food from other birds.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Roger Butterfield, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/54601101@N00/21482296
2. (c) Andreas Trepte, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Great_Black-backed_Gull_Larus_marinus.jpg
3. (c) Martin Olsson (mnemo on en/sv wikipedia and commons, martin@minimum.se)., some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Havstrut_aka_Larus_marinus_aka_Great_black-backed_gull.jpg/460px-Havstrut_aka_Larus_marinus_aka_Great_black-backed_gull.jpg
4. (c) Biopix, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.biopix.com/photos/JOM-Larus-marinus-00005.jpg
5. (c) Biopix, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.biopix.com/photos/JOM-Larus-marinus-00001.jpg
6. (c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.biopix.com/photos/JOM-Larus-marinus-00006.jpg
7. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larus_marinus
8. (c) Copyright Ecomare, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/22758545

More Info

• iNaturalist.ca taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• NBN Atlas
• VertNet
• Xeno-canto

Range Map

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