Species: Larus occidentalis
Western Gull
Species
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Aves
Order
Charadriiformes
Family
Laridae
Genus
Larus
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
Gaviota Occidental - Goéland d'Audubon
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Other Birds
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Charadriiformes - Laridae - Larus - from southern British Columbia to western Oregon (AOU 1983).
Ecology and Life History
Migration
true - true - false - Southern populations relatively sedentary.
Non-migrant
true
Locally Migrant
true
Food Comments
Eats fish, crustaceans, mollusks, worms, garbage. Catches food, scavenges after ships, or pirates fish from pelicans, cormorants, and other birds. May feed at garbage dumps or along beaches. Sometimes eats eggs and young of other birds (e.g., murres, Spear 1993). See Spear (1988) for information on feeding areas of gulls from Farallon Islands.
Reproduction Comments
Clutch size usually 3. Incubation 25-29 days, by both sexes. Young semi-precocial, can fly at about 49 days, independent at average age of 70 days on offshore island; parental care may last longer along coast (Spear et al. 1986). Colonies tend to be small; less than 5 pairs not uncommon; less than 10% of colonies >100 pairs (Spendelow and Patton 1988).
Ecology Comments
See Spear (1988) for information on movements of gulls breeding and reared on Farallon Islands.
Length
64
Weight
1011
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
1996-11-27
Global Status Last Changed
1996-11-27
Other Status
LC - Least concern
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.BC=__&US.CA=SNR&US.OR=S4&US.WA=S4" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
BREEDING: coastally from southwestern British Columbia south to west-central Baja California and Guadalupe Island. NON-BREEDING: southern British Columbia south to southern Baja California; rare in Hawaii.