Larus marinus ORDER: CHARADRIIFORMES FAMILY: LARIDAE
IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern
© Gerrit Vyn
The largest gull in the world, the Great Black-backed Gull is primarily a coastal species. A bird of the North Atlantic, it has been expanding its breeding and wintering ranges farther south along the East Coast and into the Great Lakes.
How can aggressive, predatory, and cannibalistic birds coexist in crowded breeding colonies? Explore the lives and territorial interactions of Herring and Great Black-backed gulls in a breeding colony on Maine's Appledore Island.Cornell Lab of Ornithology;
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Tips for Identifying Some Common Gulls: Story and photos in BirdScope.