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Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus
Silhouette: Sharon Wegner-Larsen · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusLarus (Large White-headed Gulls)
- SpeciesLarus fuscus (Lesser Black-backed Gull)
In 3 days <5%
5 Verified sightings at Sundarbans National Park From 2019 to 2026
10,059 In all 33 parks
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Lesser Black-backed Gull
The lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) 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.
The lesser black-backed gull was one of the many species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae, and it still bears its original name Larus fuscus. The scientific name is from Latin. Larus appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird, and fuscus meant black or brown.
Five subspecies are accepted: The lesser black-backed gull is smaller than the European herring gull. The taxonomy of the herring gull / lesser black-backed gull complex is... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Lesser Black-backed Gull in Sundarbans National Park
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
Cities Where Found
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Tangier | 🇲🇦 Morocco | |
| 5 | Casablanca | 🇲🇦 Morocco | |
| 6 | Rabat | 🇲🇦 Morocco | |
| 7 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Lisbon | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 9 | Kuwait City | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | |
| 10 | Amsterdam | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Copenhagen Zoo | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 2 | Rio de Janeiro Zoological Garden | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Le Marais aux Oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Zoo Koki (Parque zoológico y botánico) | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Ecomare | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 6 | Ogród Zoologiczny w Katowicach | 🇵🇱 Poland |
Closest Relatives at Sundarbans National Park
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Lesser Black-backed Gull in Sundarbans National Park?
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Black-backed Gull sighting in Sundarbans National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 172nd most-seen of the 177 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Lesser Black-backed Gull in Sundarbans National Park?
March
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Black-backed Gull in Sundarbans National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April and July–February, the lowest months. That is one of Sundarbans National Park's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain against 480 mm in July. May and June have too few records to rate.
What time of day is best to see a Lesser Black-backed Gull?
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Black-backed Gull sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Sundarbans National Park the best place to see a Lesser Black-backed Gull?
30th of 33
Of the 33 parks where we can rate Lesser Black-backed Gull sightings, Sundarbans National Park ranks 30th at under 5%. The best odds are in Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, about 40%), Vatnajokull National Park (Iceland, about 40%) and Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, about 30%).
Which relatives of the Lesser Black-backed Gull live in Sundarbans National Park?
Same family: Laridae
The closest relatives of the Lesser Black-backed Gull that you can see in Sundarbans National Park (family Laridae, Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers) are Little Tern (about 20%) and Brown-headed Gull (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the Lesser Black-backed Gull sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lesser Black-backed Gull is recorded against all the birds logged in Sundarbans National Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
