Gull

There are three resident species of gull in Pembrokeshire. The herring gull and lesser black-backed gull are the same size and differ only in that the lesser black-backed gull has a darker slate-grey back and yellow legs. Both are common sightings around the islands and are opportunists on the feeding front. They will occasionally predate on the smaller seabirds, but much less so than the larger greater black-backed gull. The greater black-backed gull tends to draw the most attention as, with a five foot wingspan, they are the largest gull in the world and one of the top predators on the islands. Despite not having talons or a hooked beak, they behave more like a bird of prey.

They predate heavily on the small visiting seabirds and will take chicks, eggs and adult birds. I have seen one eat a young rabbit whole and, to give an idea of their ferocity, there has been more than one report of them attacking small dogs such as Yorkshire terriers.