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Great Black-backed Gull
last update: Apr 21, 2009 10:17 AM
Latin name: Larus marinus
Population: 630,000-720,000 individuals
Cites classified: Least Concern
Where found: North Atlantic Ocean from Canada’s Labrador coast across the ocean to Iceland and northern Scandinavia and Svalbard
Age/ life expectancy: 15 years
Wingspan: 150-165 cm
Length: 65-80 cm
Weight: 1.0-2.2 kg
Mating/Breeding: This species breeds singly or in small colonies, making a lined nest on the ground often on top of a rocky stack. 1–3 eggs are laid. Young Great Black-backed Gulls leave the nest area at 50 days of age and may remain with their parents for months afterwards, though most fledglings choose to congregate with other immature gulls in the search for food.
Eggs: 2-3 cream or light brown eggs speckled red-brown
Hibernation: partially migratory moving south in winter but rarely seen south of the continental shelf
Hunting Habits: hunting, piracy, and scavenging
Feed on: birds, small mammals, eggs, and molluscs
Predators: the arctic fox and the glaucous gull prey on chicks and eggs
Colour/Body: The adults have black wings and back, with conspicuous white "mirrors" at the wing tips. The legs are pinkish, and the bill yellow with a red spot. Young birds have scaly black-brown upperparts, and a neat wing pattern. They take at least four years to reach maturity, development in this species being somewhat slower than that of other large gulls.
Interesting Trivia:
- The Great Black-backed Gull is one of the many species whose feathers were used for fashionable clothing in the 1800s. After the demise of the feather trade in the early 1900s, Great Black-backed Gull populations increased and the species spread farther south. The exploitation of human refuse undoubtedly has contributed to the successful spread of the species.
- In winter, large numbers of young Great Black-backed Gulls eat fish driven to the surface by humpback whales.
