Great Black-backed Gull

Larus marinus

Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
Presence in the Strait: Occasional
Protection in Spain: Special protection (List)
In Spanish: Gavión atlántico

Photograph: Andreas Trepte, CC BY-SA 2.5, vía Wikimedia Commons

Length: 64–78 cm
Wingspan: 150–170 cm
Weight: 1,550–1,800 g

Presence in the Strait

Occasional.

Identification

The largest of the gulls. Very dark-grey mantle similar to Lesser Black-backed Gull, but with pinkish legs, robust bill and bold white wing-tips. Juveniles are similar to those of a Yellow-legged Gull but with bolder tail pattern and less contrast between inner and outer primaries.

Movements

Mostly seen in January, March and August. Laridae Gaviota Patiamarilla juv.1º inv ad. juv. ad. Gaviota Sombría ad. juv.1º inv ad. Gavión Atlántico ad. juv.1º inv STERNIDAE:Son las pagazas, charranes y fumareles, también llamadas “golondrinas de mar”; aves principalmente marinas muy voladoras y de aspecto elegante. They are terns, also known as “sea swallows”; elegant seabirds that spend most of their time in the air.

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.

Calendar in the Strait

23 %

Peak in December. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 3.6 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

First open record: 12 March 1968
Latest record: 26 October 2025

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Spanish Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: LC · Least concern · wintering or migrating
Global Red List (IUCN): LC · Least concern

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Same genus in the Strait

Yellow-legged Gull55–67 cm · Resident · overlapping size
Lesser Black-backed Gull52–67 cm · Seasonal · overlapping size
Glaucous Gull63–68 cm · Vagrant · overlapping size
Audouin´s Gull48–52 cm · Seasonal
Mediterranean Gull36–38 cm · Seasonal

Species of the same genus that also occur here, ordered by how close they are in size. Being relatives does not mean they are confused in the field, but that is where the doubts start: compare size and season.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae
GBIF taxon key: 2481172

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Andreas Trepte, CC BY-SA 2.5, vía Wikimedia Commons
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026

Great Black-backed Gull

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Movements

Gallery