All birds/Laridae/Great Black-backed Gull
AI reconstruction of Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)AI

AI reconstruction created with Nano Banana 2 · 1K, grounded in the profile’s documented taxonomy, habitat, natural-history sources, and an open-license visual reference when available. It is an interpretive image, not documentary evidence. Image policy

Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)
Verified source photographegorbirderCC-BY · View source
PRB-0145Charadriiformes

Great Black-backed Gull

Gaviota Espaldinegra

Larus marinus

Accidental / vagrantIUCN LC · Least Concern

The great black-backed gull (Larus marinus) is the largest member of the gull and tern family Laridae. It is a very aggressive hunter, pirate and scavenger which breeds on the North Atlantic coasts and islands of northern Europe and northeastern North America. Southern populations are generally sedentary, while those breeding in the far north (northern Norway, northwest Russia) migrate farther south in winter. A few also move inland to large lakes and reservoirs. The adult has a white head, neck and underparts, dark blackish-grey wings and back, pink legs and the bill yellow with a red spot.

FamilyLaridaeGulls, Terns, and Skimmers
Puerto Rico occurrenceAccidental / vagrantAvibase inferred core 380
Primary habitatcoastsCoastal
Primary dietCarnivoreOmnivore
Average mass1678.3333333333333 gGlobal trait estimate
MovementPartial migrant; Long-distance dispersal; Sedentary / residentTerrestrial

Sound archive

Hear its voice

Explore real songs and calls. The spectrogram turns each sound into a visual trace of time and frequency.

XC1134215Recording 1 of 3call, alarm call
Spectrogram of Great Black-backed Gull: call, alarm call
SpectrogramLarus marinus

Play: call, alarm call by bert de bruin

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Sound recorded by bert de bruin · XC1134215 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Visualization by Stichting Xeno-canto voor Natuurgeluiden.

Every recording retains the creator, catalogue number, and license published by Xeno-canto. Metadata via GBIF

Island profile

Catalog scopeAvibase inferred core 380

About the Great Black-backed Gull

The great black-backed gull (Larus marinus) is the largest member of the gull and tern family Laridae. It is a very aggressive hunter, pirate and scavenger which breeds on the North Atlantic coasts and islands of northern Europe and northeastern North America. Southern populations are generally sedentary, while those breeding in the far north (northern Norway, northwest Russia) migrate farther south in winter. A few also move inland to large lakes and reservoirs. The adult has a white head, neck and underparts, dark blackish-grey wings and back, pink legs and the bill yellow with a red spot.

Conservation

Least Concern

IUCN LC

Global IUCN
LC
Puerto Rico DNER
No current listing in source crosswalk
Federal ESA
No current listing in source crosswalk
Critical habitat
Not identified in source crosswalk

Natural history

How it lives

Habitat
coasts
Elevation
0–0 m
Nest
Half cup / shallow · Building; Ground; Rock
Clutch
1–3 eggs
Social behavior
Colonial; Solitary

Keep exploring

This bird belongs to 6 paths through the atlas.

Evidence trail

Sources, media & further reading