A very large, thick-set black-backed gull, with a powerful beak. Adults are blacker than the smaller lesser black-backed gull. It has a heavy flight and can look quite hunched when perched. It will fight off other gulls and chase them to snatch food.
Key ID Features
Very large, powerful gull, the most pelagic of all UK gulls rarely seen inland.
Very black back with white breast and head, which is faintly marked in winter.
It has pale legs which can be greyish, whitish or pink, and a large broad yellow bill with a red spot near the lower tip.
Large white patches on the wing tips are visible in flight and at rest.
White edges to upper wings can be seen in flight.
Juveniles are distinctively marked with dark bills.
Overview
Scientific name: Larus marinus
Family: Gulls (Laridae)
Where to see them:
Found around the coasts in the breeding season. At other times of year it can be found wherever gulls congregate - at reservoir roosts, rubbish tips inland, and bays and harbours.
Seen in UK:
All year round - found inland most in winter.
What they eat
Omnivorous - shellfish, birds and carrion.
Text (c) RSPB, used with permission
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Photographer: Tim Tapley
