California Gull

In 1848 and 1855, Utah's harvests were threatened by swarms of grasshoppers until large numbers of California Gulls mercifully appeared, ate the pests and saved the crops. A monument in Salt Lake City commemorates those events, and the California Gull is the state bird of Utah. California Gulls tend to nest on islands with very little protective cover-the open water keeps them safe from terrestrial predators-where concentrations of gulls can soar. The nests are generally placed no closer than the distance two gulls can bridge with aggressive bill jabs from atop their nests. In the Rockies, California Gull populations seem to have declined with the closure of many landfills in the mountain parks, but their breeding range is expanding to the north.

Larus californicus

I.D.: Sexes similar. Adult: white head; yellow bill and legs; dark eyes; red spot on the lower mandible tip; dark gray back; black wing tips; black primaries with small white spots; white underparts. Immature: mottled brown.

Size: L 18-20 in. (46-51 cm);

W 48-54 in. (122-137 cm).

Range: common migrant and local breeder in the U.S. Rockies; uncommon migrant and summer visitor in the Canadian Rockies.

Habitat: large lakes, wetlands, rivers, landfills and public areas, mostly through the montane.

Nesting: on the Great Plains and in the Pacific Northwest; colonial; often on open beaches or shorelines; usually on the ground in a shallow scrape lined with plants, grass, feathers and small sticks; pair incubates 2-3 eggs for 23-27 days.

Feeding: gleans the ground for terrestrial invertebrates, especially grasshoppers, earthworms and cutworms; scavenges; surface tips for aquatic invertebrates.

Voice: high-pitched, nasal kiarr-kiarr, most often heard at breeding colonies.

Similar Species: Herring Gull: adult is much larger and has light eyes and pink legs. Ring-billed Gull: adult has light eyes and a black ring around its bill. Mew Gull: adult is much smaller and shows more white in its primaries.