Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)

(last update: July 12, 2015)

Great Black-backed Gull adult February

MEASUREMENTS

(Malling Olsen, K. & Larsson, H. 2004 Gulls of Europe, Asia and North America. London: Christopher Helm).

Lengths in mm; weights in g. Own data based on skins in NRK, UZM, ZMO. Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Faeroes, Iceland, Greenland.

Weight
Adult Britain, S Scandinavia male 1,126-2,275, female 732-2,075.
Murmansk, N Russia: male 1,380—2,272, female 1,033-2,085. juvenile Murmansk; male 1,400—1,950, female 1,300—1,650.
First-winter female Denmark 1,400.
Second-winter male 1,550
(Harris 1964a, Glutz von Blotzheim & Bauer 1982, Cramp & Simmons 1983, skins in UZM, ZMO).

Note - slight clinal variation across range:
Wing adult male Scandinavia 465-517 (492.9, n=60), Iceland/Faeroes 482-508 (497.8, n=14), Greenland 485-520 (500.7, n=23).
Wing adult female completely overlapping in Scandinavia, Faeroes and Iceland: 445-497 (470.9, n=94), Greenland 463-494 (473.8, n=19).
Bill heaviest in Greenland birds: depth at base in adult male Scandinavia 22.5-27.0 (25.0, n=66), Iceland/Faeroes 24.0-27.7 (26.3, n=12), Greenland 24.4-28.2 (26.2, n=22), adult female Scandinavia 20.3-24.0 (21.9, n=82), Iceland/Faeroes 21.0-24.5 (22.9, n=20), Greenland 20.5-25.2 (22.9, n=19).
Tarsus adult male Scandinavia 73.1-84.1 (78.3, n=45), Faeroes/Iceland 75.3-83.4 (79.9, n=45), Greenland 73.9-83.6 (79.3, n=22), adult female Scandinavia 67.2-78.2 (72.6, n=90), Iceland/Faeroes 68.6-76.6 (74.0, n=21), Greenland 69.2-78.7 (73.1, n=20).