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The Great black-backed gull (Larus marinus) is a bird found in United States, Canada, Sweden, Norway, United Kingdom and Denmark. Rocky coasts across the North Atlantic. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, small mammals and birds and dead animals (carrion). The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

🏡 Where the Great black-backed gull lives

Rocky coasts across the North Atlantic.

🍽️ What it eats

• 🐛 Insects & bugs20%
• 🐭 Mammals & birds20%
• 🦴 Leftovers (carrion)20%
• 🍎 Fruit20%
• 🌰 Seeds & nuts20%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

Hear the Great black-backed gull

Recorded by David Boyle (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1026479. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Great black-backed gull

Where does the Great black-backed gull live?

The Great black-backed gull lives in United States, Canada, Sweden, Norway, United Kingdom and Denmark. Rocky coasts across the North Atlantic.

What does the Great black-backed gull eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 20%), small mammals and birds (about 20%), dead animals (carrion) (about 20%), fruit (about 20%), seeds and nuts (about 20%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Great black-backed gull endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from North America

• Pine warbler
• Common loon
• California scrub jay
• Palm warbler
• Purple finch
• Glossy ibis

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.