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.
● 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.