NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus Linnaeus, 1758
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
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.
Wikipedia contributors, Lesser black-backed gull; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:48:48.033587+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Larus fuscus Linnaeus, 1758
- Name authority
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Common name
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Laridae
- Genus
- Larus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyLaridae
- genusLarus Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesLarus fuscus Linnaeus, 1758
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Larus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Olrog's GullLarus atlanticus Olrog, 1958 | LaridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| California GullLarus californicus Lawrence, 1854 | LaridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Common GullLarus canus Linnaeus, 1758 | LaridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Glaucous-winged GullLarus glaucescens J. F. Naumann, 1840 | LaridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Iceland GullLarus glaucoides B. Meyer, 1822 | LaridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Western GullLarus occidentalis Audubon, 1839 | LaridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Slaty-backed GullLarus schistisagus Stejneger, 1884 | LaridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus Coues, 1862 | LaridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Vega GullLarus vegae Palmén, 1887 | LaridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Heermann's GullLarus heermanni Cassin, 1852 | LaridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Short-billed GullLarus brachyrhynchus Richardson, 1831 | LaridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| European Herring GullLarus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763 | LaridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Caribbean
Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China)
North America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=176821 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3SBQ9. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.