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Larus marinus Linnaeus, 1758
Great Black-backed Gull
Florida native
Once a rare bird for Florida, since the 1970's these large gulls have become more frequent winter visitors to the Sunshine State coasts. The predominant winter range includes the Great Lakes and the mid-Atlantic states. Summer breeding occurs in extreme north Quebec, coastal Newfoundland (formerly Labrador) and Newfoundland Island. Great black-backed gulls are present year-round along the St. Lawrence seaway, Nova Scotia and coastal northeastern United States.
Larus marinus is the largest gull in the world, adults have pure white underparts and the back and wings are slate to sooty black. The thick yellow bill has a red spot on the lower mandible and the legs are pale pink. It takes four years for these gulls to reach adult plumage.
Larus marinus is a member of the Laridae - Gulls, Terns & Skimmers family.
Other species of the Larus genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Larus delawarensis - RING-BILLED GULL
Larus hyperboreus - GLAUCOUS GULL
Larus smithsonianus - HERRING GULL
iNaturalist profile for this species
For more information on this species, visit the following link:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds page for this species
Date record last modified: Mar 03, 2025
