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Monarch caterpillar

Mass Audubon State of the Birds

Find Bird Groups

Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinus

The large and aggressive Great Black-backed Gull is not only the world's largest gull species, it is also the most dominant gull species in Massachusetts wherever it occurs. Its breeding range in the Commonwealth is largely restricted to offshore islands.
Conservation Status
Continued Action/Monitoring Needed

Tracking This Bird In Massachusetts

Climate Vulnerability Score

Highly Vulnerable
Mass Audubon Mean likelihood of occurrence (current)
0.30
Mass Audubon Mean likelihood of occurrence (2050)
0.22
Mass Audubon Absolute change in likelihood of occurrence
-0.08
U.S. Forest Service Climate Change Bird Atlas (Hadly Hi emissions scenario)a
n/a
National Audubon Societyb
Climate Threatened
a USFS model data for Massachusetts by 2100
b National Audubon Society's Climate Change Atlas was completed on a continental scale.

Breeding Bird Atlas

Atlas I Blocks
36
Atlas II Blocks
51
Percent of state occupied - Atlas I
4
Percent of state occupied - Atlas II
5
Percent change
145

Breeding Bird Survey

Annual trend 1966-2010
0.1%
P-value
not significant
Number of routes
9
Recent trend 2000-2010
0.2%

Christmas Bird Count

Trend (1963-2008)
2.7
Significantly different than zero
yes
Trend (1963-1979)
12.6
Significantly different than zero
yes
Trend (1979-2008)
-3.9
Significantly different than zero
yes
Christmas Bird Count Sightings By Year
Data reflects sightings per person per hour in order to account for varying numbers of yearly volunteers.

Habitat Usage

Breeding

Coastal

Wintering

Coastal, Saltmarsh

Climate Suitability Current and 2050