365 Urban Species. #344: Great Black-backed Gull

[urbpan]

Photo by cottonmanifesto. Location: Jamaica Pond.

Urban species #344: Great black-backed gull Larus marinus

The largest gull in North America is a regular, if not common, visitor to the northeastern cities. Often mixed flocks of city gulls--usually ring-billed and herring gulls--seem to be lorded over by a single great black-backed gull. One or two of these conspicuously larger birds lurks in the back of the flock, shyer of humans despite their commanding size. Sometimes they are the dingy-looking youngsters, or sometimes the adults with bright white bellies and dark black wings. In winter the white is less bright, and the black less dark, but the bird can be recognized still by its larger than red-tailed hawk stature. Black-backs bully other birds out of their catches, including other gulls and even birds of prey. They happily eat garbage and carrion, which accounts for their attraction to urban areas.

Comments

[antarcticlust.livejournal.com]

When I was on Great Duck Island, the breeding seabird island I mentioned earlier, I saw a black-backed gull kill and swallow a full-sized hare and swallow it whole- I think the hare had a broken leg or something already, because we just heard it scream, turned, and saw the gull stab the hare, pull out and discard its large intestine, and then swallow it head-first. My friend got digital photos of the gull with the hare's feet sticking out of its bill, its crop distended, as it tried to swallow something almost as large as itself!

[tsunami-ryuu.livejournal.com]

Ah yes! These big ol' fellas (largest gulls out there, actually).

The marine lab at which I've taken classes hosts herring gull and black-back gull colonies on the island (Appledore Island, ME), and the black-backs are incredible. The ones that nest around the main campus have become very accustomed to humans, to the point of even harassing people leaving the commons with food (I saw one fly up into the face of some hapless girl carrying a plate of pancakes). They also have strong nest-site tenacity, and certain pairs have returned to the same sites for years on end, including Frank, the gull who nests right by the kitchen (and almost always produces large and healthy offspring).

It hurts to be hit on the head by one of these guys, though. They're quite aggressive in defending their young.

On the topic of them bullying larger birds of prey, the gull colonies on Appledore have actually killed snowy owls (and an eagle, if I recall correctly) in the past.

[wirrrn.livejournal.com]

Hey,

When I first went to the US as a kid, I was freaked out by the size of your gulls. Ours are only about half as big. You Yanks have to do *everything* more spectacularly, don't you?!! *g*