California Gull

Larus californicus

Summary 2

The California gull (Larus californicus) is a medium-sized gull, smaller on average than the herring gull but larger on average than the ring-billed gull, though it may overlap in size greatly with both.

Adults are similar in appearance to the herring gull, but have a smaller yellow bill with a black ring, yellow legs, brown eyes and a more rounded head. The body is mainly white with grey back and upper wings. They have black primaries with white tips. Immature birds are also similar in appearance to immature herring gulls, with browner plumage than immature ring-billed gulls. Length can range from 46 to 55 cm (18 to 22 in), the wingspan 122–137 cm (48–54 in) and body mass can vary from 430 to 1,045 g (0.948 to 2.304 lb).

Where to Find in Okanagan-Similkameen 3

California Gulls are not known to breed in any sort of appreciable numbers in British Columbia, let alone the Okanagan-Similkameen region. They breed in the prairies and northern boreal forests, and overwinter on the pacific coast, and some select sites inland, including this region. Thus, it is possible to spot them during migration and during the winter season. Like many gulls, they favour scavenging from human occupied and human adjacent habitats.

Likely spots to find California Gulls in this region include Okanagan Beach, Skaha Lake Park, and the Penticton Creek outflow in Penticton; The Skaha Lake shore in Okanagan Falls; and the Osoyoos Lake Shore in Osoyoos.

Useful Links 3

BC Breeding Bird Atlas
eBird sighting map

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Darren Kirby, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Darren Kirby
  2. Adapted by Darren Kirby from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larus_californicus
  3. (c) Darren Kirby, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

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