Birds
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus · also called lesser black-backed gulls
Standing beside a paler herring gull, a lesser black-backed gull gives itself away with a darker back and yellow rather than pink legs, a close relative that has quietly shortened its once-long migration to Africa as conditions have shifted closer to home.
Overview
The lesser black-backed gull, Larus fuscus, is a large gull closely related to the herring gull, native to coastal and grassland habitat across much of Europe. Its darker back and yellow legs, historic long-distance migration to Africa now increasingly abandoned in favour of wintering closer to home, and growing success nesting on urban rooftops make it one of the more behaviourally adaptable large gulls found anywhere in Europe.
A migration in retreat
Where the lesser black-backed gull once made a reliable annual journey all the way to Africa, growing numbers now stay much closer to their breeding grounds through the winter, a shift that reflects changing food availability and climate across its European range.
Status
Least Concern, with an increasing population across much of Europe supported by urban nesting opportunities and shorter winter migrations.
Lesser Black-backed Gull: common questions
How can you tell a lesser black-backed gull from a herring gull?
This species has a noticeably darker grey to blackish back and yellow legs, while the herring gull has a paler grey back and pink legs, differences that help separate the two closely related species despite their overall similarity.
Has the lesser black-backed gull's migration changed over time?
Yes, this species was historically a long-distance migrant travelling from Europe to wintering grounds across Africa, but growing numbers now winter much closer to their breeding range than in the past.
Why has the lesser black-backed gull population increased?
This species has benefited from increased urban nesting opportunities on rooftops and a shift toward wintering closer to home, changes that have supported population growth across much of its European range.
What does the lesser black-backed gull eat?
This species eats fish, insects, carrion, and human food waste, foraging opportunistically across coastlines, farmland, and increasingly urban areas much like its close relative the herring gull.