Great Black-backed Gull

Larus marinusOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Skuas, Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)

Codes: Common Name: GBBG Scientific Name: LARMAR ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176815

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Overview

Great Black-backed Gull: World's largest gull. White head, black upperparts, white underparts, large yellow bill with red spot on lower mandible, pale-eyed with red orbital ring, pink legs, feet. Flight is direct and powerful with deep, slow wing beats. Soars on thermals or updrafts.

Range and Habitat

Great Black-backed Gull: Northeast North America (and northwestern Europe). Atlantic Coast (expanding southward), Maritimes, Saint Lawrence River and Great Lakes except Lake Superior.

Topo Map: Gull-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"gowl", "gawp", "hah-hah-hah", "owk-owk", "keeeeeeee-aaaahh"

Interesting Facts

A group of gulls has many collective nouns, including a "flotilla", "gullery", "screech", "scavenging", and "squabble" of gulls.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

John Schwarz

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

Great Black-backed Gull

● Song: "gowl", "gawp", "hah-hah-hah", "owk-owk", "keeeeeeee-aaaahh"

● Foraging & Feeding: Great Black-backed Gull: Pugnacious, predatory and opportunistic. Omnivorous. Eats carrion, fish, refuse, eggs and young of other birds, mollusks, crustaceans, rodents, berries, and insects. Steals food from other birds and scavenges on beaches. May take prey as large as other gulls, cormorants, and rabbits.

● Breeding & nesting: Great Black-backed Gull: Monogamous; colonial but occasionally solitary. Nest of grasses, seaweed, moss, feathers, debris, and sticks built by both sexes on ground atop small pile of grasses or seaweed, often sheltered in ridges of cliff; two to three buff, olive, or brown eggs with brown spots. Incubation ranges from 26 to 29 days and is carried out by both sexes. Chicks are fed by both parents.

● Similar species: Great Black-backed Gull: Herring Gull smaller, with much lighter gray wings.

Flight Pattern

Lumbering flight.

Great Black-backed Gull Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Great Black-backed Gull: Northeast North America (and northwestern Europe). Atlantic Coast (expanding southward), Maritimes, Saint Lawrence River and Great Lakes except Lake Superior.

^BreedingColonial, Small colonies, Rarely solitary

^PopulationFairly common

^MigrationMost do not migrate

^Weight64 Ounces

Gull-like Body

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Lower mandible

The lower part of the bill.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America