Lesser Black-backed Gull - Photos by Bruce Dayton - Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)

ORDER: Charadriiformes
FAMILY: Laridae (Gulls and Terns - 49 Species)
SUB-FAMILY: Larinae
SPECIES: Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)

Lesser Black-backed Gull
Their world population of the Lesser Black-backed Gull is found entirely in Europe. The Lesser Black-backed Gull takes four years to reach maturity. There is serious concern about population declines in many parts of its range.
SIZE	The Lesser Black-backed Gull is a fairly large (20-25") gull. There size is between a Ring-bill and a Great Black-backed, smaller than a Great Black-backed, but larger than a Ring-billed Gull.
DESCRIPTION	The adults have black or dark gray (according to the subspecies) wings and back. The bill is yellow with a red spot near the tip of the lower mandible (jaw). The Lesser is similar to a Great Black-backed, but has a slimmer build, yellow rather than pinkish legs and smaller white "mirrors" at the wing tips. Sexes are similar, but the male are slightly larger than females.
NESTING	Clutch size ranges from 2-3 eggs, which are incubated in 24 to 28 days. This species breeds in colonies on coasts and lakes. They make a lined nest on the ground or on a cliff.
RANGE	The Lesser Black-backed Gull breeds on Atlantic coastal sites of Europe (dunes, cliffs, and banks, and moors). It is migratory, wintering from the British Isles south to West Africa. It is also a regular winter visitor to the east coast of North America.
HABITAT	They habitat Coastal islands, salt marshes, freshwater lakes and moorland near coasts. Spends winters on coasts, estuaries, inland lakes, reservoirs, and rubbish tips.
DIET	The Lesser Black-backed Gulls are omnivorous, opportunistic feeders, scavenges a wide range of food. Their diet includes fish, mammals, marine and intertidal invertebrates, small insects and eggs. This species will regularly scavenge food at rubbish tips (household waste centers) and agricultural land.

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The images on this web page are copyrighted © 2003 - 2007 by Bruce Dayton. I want to share my photos to promote conservation and to help people identify and learn about the birds and other creatures that live with us on the North American continent. Please do not use any of my work in any non-profit or for-profit project without first getting written permission from me. You can ask for permission by emailing me at webmaster@wildlifeofnorthamerica.info. All reproductions must bear an appropriate credit.




Lesser Black-backed Gull

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge Seneca County, New York


LBbG_225A_039553	LBbG_225A_039554

Northern Shrike Drawing by Louis Agassiz Fuertes