Great Black-backed Gull

How to recognise it

• Adults have blackish upperparts and white underparts, breast, head, tail and rump
• Yellow bill with a clear red spot at the gonys, red orbital ring and yellow iris
• Large white spots on the flight feathers show when the bird is perched
• Sexes look alike, but females are often only as large as Herring Gulls

Call and song

The main call is a deep, often hoarse and sometimes loud "kau" or "krau". It resembles the calls of Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls but is much darker, typically hoarse and gravelly. The laughing display call is shorter and slower than in Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls.

Where and when

A partial migrant, it breeds on Swedish coasts, preferably on outer islets and skerries. Inland it is found less often, but it breeds by the larger lakes. In winter it occurs at sea and along the coasts, as long as there is open water. It is reported all year and from all 21 counties. The Swedish Red List 2025 lists it as Endangered (EN).

Food and behaviour

It feeds mainly on fish caught alive, but adapts its diet to conditions. It can kill weakened seabirds such as auks, smaller gulls and shearwaters. It is shy and watchful, and more of a loner than many other gulls. In flight it looks calm, with slow wingbeats.