Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus
Summary 7
The lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) is a large gull that breeds on the Atlantic coasts of Europe. It is migratory, wintering from the British Isles south to West Africa. It is a regular winter visitor to the east coast of North America, probably from the breeding population in Iceland.
Taxon biology 8
Together with the yellow-legged gull, lesser black-backed gulls are the only gulls in the Netherlands with yellow legs. They are family of the herring gull, but have a much darker plumage. Lesser black-backed gulls live off of all kinds of food, plants as well as animals. They like to follow fishing vessels to grab the litter thrown overboard. Furthermore, they eat fish that venture to the sea surface, such as lesser sandeel.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Andrew, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/71297346@N00/2676887129
- (c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Selk%C3%A4lokki.jpg/460px-Selk%C3%A4lokki.jpg
- (c) Andreas Trepte, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/Larus-fuscus-taxbox.jpg/460px-Larus-fuscus-taxbox.jpg
- (c) Júlio Reis (Tintazul), some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Larus_fuscus_w.jpg/460px-Larus_fuscus_w.jpg
- (c) Martin Fisch from Wiesbaden, Germany, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Larus_fuscus_im_Flug.jpg/460px-Larus_fuscus_im_Flug.jpg
- (c) Andreas Trepte, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Lesser_Black-backed_Gull_2.jpg/460px-Lesser_Black-backed_Gull_2.jpg
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larus_fuscus
- (c) Copyright Ecomare, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/22758542
