Larus marinus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	CHARADRIIFORMES	LARIDAE

Scientific Name:

Larus marinus

Species Authority:

Linnaeus, 1758

Common Name/s:

English	–	Great Black-backed Gull, Greater Black-backed Gull
French	–	Goéland marin

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2009

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Bird, J., Butchart, S.

Justification:
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be increasing, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is very large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

History:

2008	–	Least Concern
2004	–	Least Concern

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species can be found breeding on coasts from the extreme north-west of Russia, along Scandinavia, on Baltic Sea coasts, on the coasts of north-western France, the United Kingdom and Ireland, across the north Atlantic in Iceland and southern Greenland and on the Atlantic coasts of Canada and the USA down to North Carolina. Individuals breeding in harsher environments will migrate south, wintering on northern coasts of Europe from the Baltic Sea to southern Portugal, and down North America as far south as the Carribean¹.
Countries:	Native: Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Austria; Barbados; Belgium; Belize; Bermuda; Bulgaria; Canada; Cuba; Czech Republic; Denmark; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Estonia; Faroe Islands; Finland; France; Germany; Gibraltar; Greece; Greenland; Guadeloupe; Haiti; Iceland; Ireland; Italy; Latvia; Lebanon; Lithuania; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Martinique; Montserrat; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Puerto Rico; Romania; Russian Federation; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Pierre and Miquelon; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Slovakia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; United Kingdom; United States Vagrant: Algeria; Aruba; Bahamas; Belarus; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Croatia; Cyprus; Egypt; Hungary; India; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Israel; Kazakhstan; Luxembourg; Mauritania; Montenegro; Morocco; Netherlands Antilles; Serbia; Slovenia; Syrian Arab Republic; Tunisia; Turkey; Venezuela; Virgin Islands, U.S.
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Behaviour The migratory movements of this species vary throughout its range, with high Arctic breeders migrating south for the winter but southern breeders only dispersing short distances¹. The breeding season starts from early-April or mid-May with the species nesting in solitary pairs amidst colonies of other species or in small mixed-species colonies¹ of up to 50-100 individuals² (e.g. with Herring Gull Larus argentatus)¹ in favourable locations². The autumn migration occurs between July and November (peaking October-November) and the return migration to the breeding grounds occurs between March and April³. Outside of the breeding season the species is largely gregarious³. Habitat The species inhabits rocky or sandy coasts, estuaries and inshore and offshore waters, breeding on vegetated islands, dunes, flat-topped stacks, rocky shores¹, flat beaches⁴ and islands in saltmarsh¹. The species may also breed on undisturbed inland sites including islets in large freshwater lakes and rivers⁴, fields and open moorland¹. Diet The species is omnivorous and opportunistic, its diet consisting of fish, adult and young birds, birds eggs, mammals (e.g. rabbits, lemmings, rats and mice), insects, marine invertebrates (e.g. molluscs), carrion and refuse¹. Breeding site The nest is a shallow cup constructed from grass, moss and seaweed and is positioned on sand, grass or bare rock substrates on vegetated islands, rocky ridges and outcrops, dunes¹, flat beaches⁴ and islands in saltmarsh among scrub¹. The species may also nest in undisturbed inland sites such as islets in large freshwater lakes and rivers⁴, fields and open moorland¹. Management information The breeding densities of this species in the Baltic Sea were unaffected by the removal of the introduced nest predator American mink Neovison vison from small offshore breeding islands⁶. The species is considered to be a threat to other bird species due to its predatory and opportunistic diet¹.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

Behaviour The migratory movements of this species vary throughout its range, with high Arctic breeders migrating south for the winter but southern breeders only dispersing short distances¹. The breeding season starts from early-April or mid-May with the species nesting in solitary pairs amidst colonies of other species or in small mixed-species colonies¹ of up to 50-100 individuals² (e.g. with Herring Gull Larus argentatus)¹ in favourable locations². The autumn migration occurs between July and November (peaking October-November) and the return migration to the breeding grounds occurs between March and April³. Outside of the breeding season the species is largely gregarious³. Habitat The species inhabits rocky or sandy coasts, estuaries and inshore and offshore waters, breeding on vegetated islands, dunes, flat-topped stacks, rocky shores¹, flat beaches⁴ and islands in saltmarsh¹. The species may also breed on undisturbed inland sites including islets in large freshwater lakes and rivers⁴, fields and open moorland¹. Diet The species is omnivorous and opportunistic, its diet consisting of fish, adult and young birds, birds eggs, mammals (e.g. rabbits, lemmings, rats and mice), insects, marine invertebrates (e.g. molluscs), carrion and refuse¹. Breeding site The nest is a shallow cup constructed from grass, moss and seaweed and is positioned on sand, grass or bare rock substrates on vegetated islands, rocky ridges and outcrops, dunes¹, flat beaches⁴ and islands in saltmarsh among scrub¹. The species may also nest in undisturbed inland sites such as islets in large freshwater lakes and rivers⁴, fields and open moorland¹. Management information The breeding densities of this species in the Baltic Sea were unaffected by the removal of the introduced nest predator American mink Neovison vison from small offshore breeding islands⁶. The species is considered to be a threat to other bird species due to its predatory and opportunistic diet¹.

Systems:

Terrestrial; Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Utilisation The species is hunted for sport in Denmark⁵.

Major Threat(s):

Utilisation The species is hunted for sport in Denmark⁵.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2009. Larus marinus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 07 February 2012.
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