black-backed gull

[ blak-bakt ]

noun

1. any of several white gulls, as Larus marinus great black-backed gull, having a black back and wings.

black-backed gull

noun

1. either of two common black-and-white European coastal gulls, Larus fuscus ( lesser black-backed gull ) and L. marinus ( great black-backed gull )
2. Also calledkaroro a southern gull, larus dominicanus , with black feathers on its back

Word History and Origins

Origin of black-backed gull¹

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

It seemed to me, forsooth, that a great black-backed gull or fierce skua would give me a fine flight or two.

From Project Gutenberg

They went on while the sand got softer, but they saw nothing except a few small wading birds and a black-backed gull.

From Project Gutenberg

This bird, though called "lesser," is larger than any of the other gulls, except the herring gull and the great black-backed gull.

From Project Gutenberg

This species is one of the largest and most powerful of the gull family, only surpassed by the Great Black-backed Gull.

From Project Gutenberg

A personal acquaintance of the Doctor was a black-backed gull which had been in captivity for thirty-two years.

From Project Gutenberg