Lesser Black-backed Gull

Vulnerable in Portugal

Outside the breeding season this is the most abundant gull in mainland Portugal, feeding mainly at sea and resting on beaches, fishing ports and estuaries. Global numbers are rising, but the Portuguese breeding population is small and classed Vulnerable; it nests regularly, in very low numbers, on Berlenga, a colony of about thirty pairs established in the 1980s. Accidental capture in nets and longlines is a potential threat.