Lesser Black-backed Gull

About the Lesser Black-backed Gull

A large gull with a dark slate-gray back, yellow legs, and a yellow bill marked with a red spot, the adult Lesser Black-backed Gull is a handsome bird once you learn to pick it out. Younger birds are mottled brown and gray and take several years to reach clean adult plumage, so any flock may show a range of ages. Originally a Eurasian species, it has spread dramatically and is now a regular sight on this side of the Atlantic.

Lesser Black-backed Gulls loaf on open water, beaches, and shorelines and scavenge readily, taking fish, scraps, and whatever the tide and the parking lot provide.

In Texas the Lesser Black-backed Gull is an increasingly regular winter visitor, turning up on reservoirs, lakes, and along the coast from fall through winter - usually a few birds picked out among the commoner gulls.

A note from behind the lens: finding one is a matter of patiently scanning gull flocks. Once you have it, get low along the shore for an eye-level angle, wait for the bird to preen or stretch, and keep that dark gray back crisp against the water.