Lesser Black-backed Gull

Larus fuscus

The lesser black-backed gull is a large gull that breeds on the Atlantic and Arctic coasts of Europe. It is migratory, wintering from the British Isles south to West Africa. However, it has increased dramatically in North America, especially along the east coast. Formerly just a winter visitor to North America, it now occurs in large numbers some winters and birds are recorded year-round. However, there is serious concern about decline in many parts of its range. The species is on the UK Amber List because the UK is home to 40 per cent of the European population and more than half of these are found at fewer than ten breeding sites. Source

Where it is now

In the last 8 weeks this bird was recorded 3,909 times across 27 areas (each area is a 5 degree square).

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Movement and weather

Each season it is first heard regularly where daytime highs are around 8°C (typically 6 to 11°C, from 8 areas). That holds across 15° of latitude, which suggests its timing follows temperature more than the calendar.

Over the weeks it was present in the past year, its centre in Europe ranged from 38°N in December to 52°N in November, about 1,500 km apart.

Arrival dates

The week it was first heard regularly in each region, after at least six weeks away. Dates differ from south to north, so a region has a range.

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Figures are effort corrected and come from automatic sound identification, which makes mistakes. How this is measured and how it compares with human observers.