California gull
California gull | |
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California gull at Palo Alto Duck Pond, Baylands Nature Preserve , Palo Alto, California | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Charadriiformes |
Family: | Laridae |
Genus: | Larus |
Species: | L. californicus
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Binomial name | |
Larus californicus Lawrence, 1854
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Subspecies | |
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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). It lives not just in California, but up and down the entire Western coast of North America, and has breeding ground inland. The yellow bill has a black ring.
Description
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)[citation needed] and body mass can vary from 430 to 1,045 g (0.948 to 2.304 lb).[4]
Distribution and habitat
Their breeding habitat is lakes and marshes in interior western North America from the Northwest Territories, Canada south to eastern California and Colorado.[5] They nest in colonies, sometimes with other birds. The nest is a shallow depression on the ground lined with vegetation and feathers. The female usually lays 2 or 3 eggs. Both parents take turns feeding their chicks.
They are
Behavior
These birds forage in flight or pick up objects while swimming, walking or wading. They mainly eat insects, fish and the eggs and young of other birds, especially
California gulls are also known to eat various vegetables and fruits, particularly
State bird
This is the
Subspecies
There are two subspecies recognized, the
Status in California
In California, the California gull recently held the protected status
Other species
References
- ^ "Duck Pond, Palo Alto Yacht Harbor". Palo Alto Historical Association. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- . Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "Gulls (Laridae)". The World Birds. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- ISBN 978-0-8493-4258-5.
- ^ ISBN 0-679-45122-6
- ^ a b Greenhalgh, Clifton M. (1952). "Food Habits of the California Gull in Utah". The Condor. 54 (5): 302–308 – via JSTOR.
- ^ "Larus californicus California gull". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ "Utah State Bird". Utah.gov. Archived from the original on 2020-01-22. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- ^ ]
- JSTOR 4087540.
- JSTOR 4087291.
- JSTOR 1368692.
- ^ Ackerman, J. T., J. Y. Takekawa, C. Strong, N. Athearn, and A. Rex. (2006) California Gull distribution, abundance, and predation on waterbird eggs and chicks in South San Francisco Bay. Final Report, U. S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological and Research Center, Davis and Vallejo, CA.
External links
- Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter: California gull information and pictures. Retrieved 2006-09-27
- California Gull Species Account – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- California Gull at Animal Diversity Web