Great Black-backed Gull

Also known as Greater Black-backed Gull, Saddleback, Coffin-bearer

Towering over other coastal birds, the Great Black-backed Gull commands North Atlantic shores as both a dominant apex scavenger and an active predator capable of swallowing adult seabirds and small mammals whole. Mated pairs form monogamous bonds lasting decades, returning reliably to defend the exact same nesting territory against rivals year after year. Deep, resonant barking and laughing calls ring out across rocky bluffs, asserting dominance and coordinating piracy over food caught by smaller gulls and terns.