Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinus

Great Black-backed Gulls are the largest gulls in Europe. They eat fish, offal, other birds and often steal food from other large birds (kleptoparasitism). Apart from the size, they are not too hard to differentiate from other large gulls due to the dark colour across the wingsand back (mantle) and the white spots on the tips of the primaries. The first three photos are of adults in Winter plumage, the fourth is 4th Winter, five is a 3rd Winter and six is a 2nd Winter with an adult Winter.
 

  

  

  

1-2 and 4: Selsey East Beach, 30/09/2006.
3: River Thames, Waterloo, 23/11/2006.
5-6: Selsey Bill, 26/09/2006.