The changing status of the lesser black-backed gull Larus fuscus

• Main Authors: G. A. Creme, P. M. Walsh, T. C. Kelly, G. A. Creme P. M
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1997
• Subjects: Lesser black-backed gull
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.551.38; http://www.gull-research.org/papers/06creme.pdf

Major changes in the status of the populations of the large gull species in Ireland have taken place over the past fifteen years. While marked declines have occurred in the numbers of breeding herring gulls Larus argentatus, over more or less the same period there has been a sharp increase in the population of lesser black-backed gulls L. fuscus. Moreover, this increase has not been confined to the numbers breeding but has also involved considerable changes to the size of the overwintering population. This paper describes the change in status of the lesser black-backed gull in Ireland with particular emphasis on the rate of increase of the breeding population and the geographical distribution and numerical strength of the overwintering flocks. The increase in breeding numbers of lesser black-backed gulls is most marked at coastal sites in the south and south-east of Ireland, where annual increases in excess of 14 % have been recorded. A survey of overwintering lesser black-backed gulls carried out as part of this study has shown that the population has exceeded 12,000 birds. The overwintering flocks are again mostly confined to the south and south-east of Ireland.