Lesser Black-backed Gull

Scientific Name: Larus fuscus

Malay Name: Camar-Titik Erasia

Chinese Name: 小黑背鸥

Range: Breeds in North America and the western Palearctic. Winters along the coasts from west Africa, the middle east, and the Indian subcontinent. Rare in east and southeast Asia.

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: graellsii, intermedius, fuscus, heuglini, barabensis.

Local Subspecies: heuglini

Size: 58-65cm

Identification: From other gulls that have been recorded in Singapore before: Bigger than the Black-headed and Brown-headed Gulls, lacking the black ear coverts present in those two species. Bill yellow, with red base near the tip. Separation of this species from the other Larus gulls (Slaty-backed Gull and Black-tailed Gull being very unlikely, but possible species in Singapore) requires careful examination.

Similar looking species: Brown-headed Gull, Black-headed Gull

Habitat: Coastal areas, open seas.

Behaviour/Ecology:

Local Status: Very rare vagrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2019 Larus fuscus

Location: Any suitable site along the coast or open seas.

Past accepted records in our database:

Lesser Black-backed Gull at Singapore Strait. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Lesser Black-backed Gull at Singapore Strait. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Lesser Black-backed Gull at Singapore Strait. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Lesser Black-backed Gull at Straits of Singapore. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Lesser Black-backed Gull)

References:

BirdLife International 2019. Larus fuscus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019.. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Burger, J., Gochfeld, M., Kirwan, G. M., Christie, D. A., & de Juana, E. (2020). Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus), version 1.0. In del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D. A., & de Juana, E. (Eds). Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.lbbgul.01

Eaton, J. A., van Balen, S., Brickle, N. W., & Rheindt, F. E. (2021). Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea (Second Edition). Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Singapore Birds Project. (n.d.). Lesser Black-backed Gull. Retrieved on March 18, 2023 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/lesser-black-backed-gull.