Lesser Black-backed Gull

The large Gulls in this area have undergone many revisions over the years. If we go back far enough we find that they were all sub-species of Herring Gull until the Lesser Black-backed was split away when this and the Herring Gull each had numerous sub-species, several of which got swapped about between the two. Now some of these sub-species have been elevated to full species based on latest knowledge and even now arguments still continue between experts as to which ones belong where. <br> In winter when they moult they all look alike and even many experts agree that it is often impossible to be 100% certain. Some of the differences are on the wing primaries which they lose during the moult and the new ones take a while to grow to their full length. The shade of grey is extremely variable on all species so not a reliable indicator and leg colour is also variable, some young gulls changing from pink to yellow within a couple of years while others can stay pink until they are adults at 4-5 years. Most Herring Gulls legs stay pink throughout their life while others do get yellow legs.<br>In addition to all this the different species will readily interbreed just to add to the confusion<br>The result of all this is that any identification of these gulls during Autumn can be taken with a pinch of salt. Come winter a good view of the wing tip primaries should be sufficient to separate them.<br>For this area Lesser Black-backed Gull and Yellow-legged Gull are the two most common species of large Gull, though Herring Gull and Caspian Gull cannot be ruled out.