Larus marinus Linnaeus, 1758
Great Black-backed Gull
CLASSIFICATION
Main Group: Animal
Sublevel 1: Vertebrate
Sublevel 2: Bird
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Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Genus: Larus
Species: Larus marinus
STATUS IN NEW ENGLAND
Origin: Native (Nonbreeding/Overwintering), Recent (Breeding)
Invasive, Pest, or Pathogen?: No
Rarity Designations:
VT - state rank: S1B,S5N
MA SWAP (2015) - SGCN
BIOLOGY/ECOLOGY
Feeding Type: Heterotroph
HABITAT
NOTES
Gulls in general are often considered to be a nuisance for their tendency to flock around areas containing food or garbage, occasionally stealing food or attacking people. They may also be a nuisance when they nest on buildings and leave droppings that may cause property damage or health concerns. The Great Black-backed Gull is known to predate the nests of the federally-threatened Piping Plover (Warren, 2016).
PHOTOS OF Larus marinus
Parker River National Wildlife Refuge
Essex County, MA
Date: 2014-11-29
Adult with chicks, on Thacher Island
Essex County, MA
Date: 2022-06-29
REFERENCES
Warren, D.J. 2016. Management of Predators at Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, Massachusetts for the Enhancement and Protection of Threatened and Endangered Shore Nesting Birds. May 2016 - August 2016 Summary Report. Submitted to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. Prepared by David J. Warren, USDA, APHIS Wildlife Services. August 18, 2016.