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| Great Black Backed Gull (Larus marinus) |
So I did my research and here's a bit of what I found:
- They are quite a big bird 71cm in length with a wingspan of 158cm. They weigh, both males and females, on average 1.7kg.
- They are resident all over the coast of the UK and they Winter over Eastern Scotland and Eastern and Central England.
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| Loved getting the waves in the background |
- Number wise there are 17,000 breeding pairs and 77,000 over wintering birds. Despite this they are an amber status bird as they have suffered recent non breeding population declines.
- They don't have many predators or natural threats but they are hunted for sport in Denmark :-(
- The population decline with this species has occurred since 2007 when they were a green status bird.
- They like most habitats except reedbeds and moorlands but they are mostly found on shorelines except when wintering when you will find them in more habitats like lakes and rivers.
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| It was only so patient and then has a sit down! |
- Few of these birds get ringed so data on their typical lifespan isn't available. In 2012 only 7 juvenile Great Black Backed Gulls were ringed.
- Of those that have been ringed the oldest recorded Greater Black Backed Gull lived to 24 years 11 months and 25 days.
- They are omniverous eating shellfish, carrion and even birds. They are happy scavenging on rubbish tips!
- Their global distribution range (resident or breeding) covers 1,070,000 square kilometers - this is mainly based around the Atlantic and North Sea.
Well that's a little bit about the, if you'd like to find out more try these sites:
Hope you enjoyed,
Z.
I love Gulls, they're such impressive birds. Another great post here Zach! - Tasha
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