Birds of Napa

The suborder Lari is the part of the order Charadriiformes which includes the gulls, terns, skuas and skimmers, with the waders and snipes making up the rest of the order. Following recent research, the auks are now placed into the Lari too; the family Glareolidae (pratincoles and coursers) might constitute a distinct suborder. Sometimes, the buttonquails are also placed here, but the molecular data and fossil record rather suggests them be a quite basal offshoot along... less ↑

The Western Gull (Larus occidentalis) is a large white-headed gull that lives on the western coast of North America. It was previously considered conspecific, the same species, with the Yellow-footed Gull (Larus livens) of the Gulf of California. The Western Gull ranges from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico, and because of its convenient colonies on the coast of California it is well studied. Despite being a well-known bird species on the West Coast of... less ↑

The Thayer's Gull (Larus thayeri) is a large gull native to North America that breeds in the Arctic islands of Canada and primarily winters on the Pacific coast, from southern Alaska to the Gulf of California, though there are also wintering populations on the Great Lakes and the upper Mississippi River. The species has occurred a vagrant to Tamaulipas, Mexico,1 Japan,3 Denmark, and other parts of western Europe. less ↑

The Heermann's Gull (Larus heermanni) is a gull resident in the United States, Mexico and extreme southwestern British Columbia. Of the current population of about 150,000 pairs, 90% nest on the island of Isla Rasa off Baja California in the Gulf of California, with smaller colonies as far north as California and as far south as Nayarit. After breeding, birds commonly disperse to central California, and less commonly north as far as British Columbia and south... less ↑

The common gull (European and Asian subspecies; see below) or mew gull (North American subspecies) Larus canus is a medium-sized gull which breeds in northern Asia, northern Europe and northwestern North America. It migrates further south in winter. Its name does not indicate that it is an abundant species, but that during the winter it feeds on common land, short pasture used for grazing. less ↑

The Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens) is a large, white-headed gull residing from the western coast of Alaska to the coast of Washington. It also breeds on the northwest coast of Alaska, in the summertime. During non-breeding seasons they can be found along the coast of California. It is a close relative of the Western Gull and frequently hybridizes with it, resulting in identification problems—particularly in the Puget Sound area. This species also hybridizes regularly with the... less ↑

The European Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) is a large gull (up to 26 inches or 66 cm long). One of the best known of all gulls along the shores of western Europe, it was once abundant. It breeds across Northern Europe, Western Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and the Baltic states. Some European Herring Gulls, especially those resident in colder areas, migrate further south in winter, but many are permanent residents, e.g. in the British Isles, Iceland,... less ↑