Gulls & Terns

California Gull

Kaliforniermöwe

Larus californicus

Gulls & Terns25 photosFirst seen: 11 July 2026

The California Gull is a medium-sized gull with a grey back and a bill marked with both black and red. It breeds mainly on inland lakes and islands across western North America. After breeding, many birds move to the Pacific coast. The diet includes insects, fish, brine shrimp, eggs and human refuse. Adult plumage is acquired gradually and is usually complete in the fourth year.

ID tip: Dark eye plus greenish legs and a bill with BOTH red and black marks separates it from the pale-eyed, pink-legged Western and the smaller, ring-billed Ring-billed Gull.

First seen: 11 July 2026 · Seabrook · 25 photos in the collection.

Places in my records

Locations where this species is supported by a dated first record, an unambiguous single-place outing or a reviewed assignment.

Seabrook11 July 2026

Family: Gulls & Terns (Laridae)
Length: 46–55 cm
Wingspan: 122–137 cm
Regional status: Year-round resident (Pacific Northwest, USA)
Conservation: Least Concern LCIUCN Red List · retrieved 27 August 2026
Habitat: Coastal beaches, estuaries, landfills, farmland, inland lakes
Diet: Fish, insects, refuse, eggs, carrion, grain

Built from verified occurrence records, not drawn by hand. Core range = the countries holding 99% of all records; the rest are scattered or vagrant records. Record counts track where people watch birds as much as where the birds are, so the map shows presence, not abundance. Data: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). Basemap: Natural Earth.

Selected photographs

Complete photo archiveAll 25 published photographs of this species, including the selected main gallery.Open all 25 photos in the archive →