A large dark-mantled gull of Pacific Coast.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The western gull is a large white-headed gull that lives on the west coast of North America and the Pacific Ocean. The western gull ranges from British Columbia, Canada, to Baja California, Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia — Western gull Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Large gull with a dark slate-gray back, black wingtips, pink legs, a heavy yellow bill with a red spot, and (often) a dark eye. Stocky and fierce-looking.
Similar species. Glaucous-winged Gull has gray wingtips matching a paler back; California Gull is smaller with yellow legs. Western's dark back plus pink legs is key on the West Coast.
Voice. A deep, hoarse laughing 'kyow-kyow' and low croaks.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Omnivorous: fish, invertebrates, scavenged food, eggs.
Behavior. The default large gull of the U.S. Pacific coast; an aggressive scavenger and predator at colonies. Hybridizes with Glaucous-winged Gull in the Pacific Northwest.
§ Range
Pacific Coast
§ Habitat
Coastal areas
§ Threats
Coastal habitat loss.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the western gull is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support coastal conservation.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Western gull
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Larus occidentalis
- IUCN Red List — search for Larus occidentalis
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Larus occidentalis
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
