Great Black-backed Gulls take 4 years to reach adult plumage. This photo is of a juvenile bird. Note the massive bill and pinkish legs.
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The Great Black-backed Gull is the largest gull in the world. It is primarily found in the North Atlantic, along the northeastern and Canadian coastlines in North America. it is rarely found inland except along the Great Lakes.
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Great Black-backed Gulls are opportunistic and get most of their food from scavenging (refuse at times comprising more than half of their diet) and capturing fish.
Great Black-backed Gulls are occasionally seen flying over our garden, especially during the winter months, but have never been seen in the gardens or on the roof tops.
Remarks The Great Black-backed Gull is the largest gull in the world. It can be distinguished from the more common Herring Gull when both are seen in subadult plumages by its size and its paler head and neck.
The flight of the Great Black-backed Gull is firm, steady, at times elegant, rather swift, and long protracted. While travelling, it usually flies at the height of fifty or sixty yards, and proceeds in a direct course, with easy, regulated flappings.
Great Black-backed Gull: This is the largest gull in the world. Its head is white, with the underparts being white and the upperparts being black. It bill is large and yellow, with the lower part having a red spot.
Great black-backed gull (Larus marinus)
Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella)
Chilean skua (Catharacta chilensis)
Erect-crested penguin (Eudyptes sclateri)
Southern skua (Catharacta antarctica)
Christmas shearwater (Puffinus nativitatis) ...
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus. Rare in winter, spring, and fall in Gulf Coast region. In Tennessee Valley region, occasional in winter and spring. Found in the Gulf, and on bays, beaches, lakes, and large rivers. Lowest Conservation Concern.
The Great Black-backed Gull is perhaps the biggest threat to the Atlantic Puffin. It is capable of attacking a puffin while flying, or may catch an unsuspecting solitary puffin by surprise by dive-bombing it from behind.
Mink, foxes, great black-backed gulls, and humans. Herring gulls will take puffin eggs and chicks from their nesting burrow.
Habitat
North Atlantic Ocean; Iceland, Norway, the Faeroe Islands, British Isles, Northern U.S., and eastern Canada.
Common Eider (9) Surf Scoter (1) White-winged Scoter (7) Parasitic Jaeger (1 ad.) Laughing Gull (3 ads.) Herring Gull (23) Great Black-backed Gull (35) Black-legged Kittiwake (1-1S) Black Guillemot (2): 1 ad.
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus: Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 07 Jan
SOOTY TERN Onychoprion fuscatus: Point Lookout, NY, 28 Aug
BRIDLED TERN Onychoprion anaethetus: Jones Beach State Park, NY, 28 Aug ...
Great Black-backed Gull
Count Circle: 1 seen in 2006 only.
Fermilab Site: Not seen.
62.
Rock Pigeon
Count Circle: Avg. of 556.7 in 35 counts.
Fermilab Site: Avg. of 49.5 in 33 counts.
63.
Mourning Dove
Count Circle: Avg. of 583.5 in 35 counts.
Great black-backed gulls (Larus marinus), are much larger than herring gulls and have a lighter bill and darker mantle. Lesser black-backed gulls (Larus fuscus) have a dark mantle and yellow legs.
Great Black-backed Gull, Larus marinus
Glaucous-winged Gull, Larus glaucescens
Glaucous Gull, Larus hyperboreus
Iceland Gull, Larus glaucoides
Thayer's Gull, Larus thayeri
Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus
Heuglin's Gull, Larus heuglini ...
Great Black-backed Gull has wingtips the same color as the mantle, not darker as the Lesser, and pink legs. Western and Slaty-backed Gulls are larger and have pink legs.
* Great Black-backed Gull, Larus marinus
* Great Black-headed Gull, Larus ichthyaetus
* Grey Gull, Larus modestus
* Grey-headed Gull, Larus cirrocephalus
* Hartlaub's Gull, Larus hartlaubii
* Heermann's Gull, Larus heermanni ...
First-year birds have a paler head, rump and underparts than those of the Herring Gull, more closely resembling first-year Great Black-backed Gulls in plumage.
Page 9 (September 2006): Great Black-backed Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Ruff (2 photos), first winter Great Black-backed Gull, first winter Herring Gull, a note on gull taxonomy, and California Quail.
Puffins are preyed upon by great black-backed gulls and great skuas, herring gulls (which are known to take eggs, chicks and steal fish), rats, cats, dogs, and foxes.
Life History ...
Gull, Great Black-backed Larus marinus Found: North America, Europe
Photographed by Dick Daniels
1) Great Black-Backed Gull is larger than Herring Gull
2) Back: adult Herring Gull and 2 adult Great Black Backs.
A natural predator of the Atlantic puffin is the great black-backed gull. Introduced predators include foxes and rats.
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The bill is bright yellow with a bright red gonys spot. Winter adult Great Black-backed Gulls are darker above, have flesh-colored legs, clean white heads, and are much larger and more brutish-looking.
Robber gulls, too, cause casualties. Waiting until the fieldfares have almost reached the shore a gauntlet of great black-backed gulls will pounce on the weary birds forcing them into the surf. Exhausted they become easy prey.
Young form crèches; fed for up to 40 days postfledging (very long for gull). Esp strong site tenacity. Competes with Great Black-backed Gull for best nesting habitat. Frequent pirate. Adult plumage attained in fourth year.
Predators such as Norway rats, escaped mink from mink-farms, and Herring and Great Black-backed gulls, have all caused puffin colony declines. Where predators are discouraged, puffin populations have increased.
The larger great black-backed gull, L. marinus, is more northern; the ring-billed, Bonaparte's, and laughing gull are smaller. The Franklin's gull of the Great Plains is called the "prairie dove.
 See also: Gull, Herring, Herring Gull, Kittiwake, Puffin
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