California Gull
Conservation status
Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Charadriiformes Family: Laridae Genus: Larus Species: L. californicus
Binomial name
Larus californicus (Lawrence, 1854)
Subspecies
L. c. californicus Lawrence, 1854 Great Basin California Gull L. c. albertaensis Jehl, 1987 Great Plains Galifornia Gull

The California Gull, Larus californicus, is a medium-sized gull, smaller than the Herring Gull but larger than the Ring-billed Gull. California Gull from US NPS Credit: National Park Service staff photo Source: National Park Service, Presidio of San Francisco, Jan 5 2005, Available [Online]: URL http://www. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn3. ... Least Concern (LC) is an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which do not qualify for any other category. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Animalia redirects here. ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... “Aves” redirects here. ... Families Thinocoridae Pedionomidae Scolopacidae Rostratulidae Jacanidae Chionididae Burhinidae Haematopodidae Recurvirostridae Ibidorhynchidae Charadriidae Pluvianellidae Dromadidae Glareolidae Stercorariidae Rhynchopidae Laridae Sternidae Alcidae Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. ... Genera Pagophila Larus Rissa Creagus Xema Rhodostethia Gulls are seabirds in the family Laridae and subfamily Lari. ... Genera Pagophila Larus Rissa Creagus Xema Rhodostethia Gulls are seabirds in the family Laridae and subfamily Lari. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... George Newbold Lawrence (October 20, 1806 - January 17, 1895) was an American businessman and amateur ornithologist. ... 1854 (MDCCCLIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... In zoology, as in other branches of biology, subspecies is the rank immediately subordinate to a species. ... Look up gull in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Binomial name Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763 The Herring Gull, Larus argentatus, is a large gull which breeds across North America, Europe and Asia. ... Binomial name Larus delawarensis Ord, 1815 The Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) is a medium-sized gull. ...

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.

Their breeding habitat is lakes and marshes in western North America. 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 feed the young birds. Freshwater marsh in Florida In geography, a marsh is a type of wetland, featuring grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, cat tails, and other herbaceous plants (possibly with low-growing woody plants) in a context of shallow water. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ...

These birds forage in flight or pick up objects while swimming, walking or wading. They mainly eat insects, fish and eggs. They also scavenge at garbage dumps or docks. They may follow plows in fields for insects stirred up by this activity.

This is the state bird of Utah, remembered for assisting Mormon settlers in dealing with a plague of Mormon crickets. A Seagull Monument in Salt Lake City commemorates this event, known as the "Miracle of the Gulls". This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area  Ranked 13th  - Total 84,876 sq mi (219,887 km²)  - Width 270 miles (435 km)  - Length 350 miles (565 km)  - % water 3. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the most-recognized architectural symbol of Mormonism For other uses, see Mormon (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Anabrus simplex Haldeman, 1852 The so-called Mormon cricket (Anabrus simplex) is actually a shieldbacked katydid, and not a cricket at all. ... Seagull Monument, Salt Lake City Temple Square. ... Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. ... The Miracle of the Gulls is often credited by Latter-day Saints (Mormons) for saving the Mormon pioneers first harvest in Utah. ...

There are two subspecies recognized, the nominate from the Great Basin to central Montana and Wyoming, and the larger, paler L. c. albertaensis with a more inland distribution, ranging from Great Slave Lake onto the Great Plains of western Manitoba and South Dakota (Jehl, 1987). Although these subspecies are not well distinguishable by mtDNA allozyme variation (Karl et al., 1987), they breed true and the low genetic divergence can be explained by separation during the Pleistocene and renewed contact in Montana during more recent times (Jehl et al., 1990). Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Drainage map showing the Great Basin in orange Various Definitions of the Great Basin (NPS) The Great Basin is a large, arid region of the western United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Helena Largest city Billings Area  Ranked 4th  - Total 147,165 sq mi (381,156 km²)  - Width 255 miles (410 km)  - Length 630 miles (1,015 km)  - % water 1  - Latitude 44°26N to 49°N  - Longitude 104°2W to 116°2W Population  Ranked... Official language(s) English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Area  Ranked 10th  - Total 97,818 sq mi (253,348 km²)  - Width 280 miles (450 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 0. ... Mackenzie River drainage basin showing Great Slave Lakes position in the Western Canadian Arctic Great Slave Lake (French: Grand lac des Esclaves) is the second largest lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada (behind Great Bear Lake), the deepest lake in North America at 614 meters (2,015 ft. ... The Great Plains covers much of the central United States, portions of Canada and Mexico. ... Motto: Gloriosus et Liber (Latin: Glorious and free) Capital Winnipeg Largest city Winnipeg Official languages English and French, per mandate of the Constitution Act 1982 Government - Lieutenant-Governor John Harvard - Premier Gary Doer (NDP) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 14 - Senate seats 6 Confederation July 15, 1870 (5th... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,163 sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is DNA which is not located in the nucleus of the cell but in the mitochondria. ... In biochemistry, isozymes (or isoenzymes) are isoforms (closely related variants) of enzymes. ... The Pleistocene epoch (IPA: ) is part of the geologic timescale. ...

In California, the California Gull holds the protective status "California Species of Special Concern" due to declining numbers at their historic California breeding colony at Mono Lake. However, in an ironic twist, this species has colonized the southern portion of San Francisco Bay, where it did not historically nest, and has undergone exponential population growth. These California Gulls now inhabit large, remote salt-production ponds and levees and apparently have an infinite food source provided by nearby landfills from San Francisco, San Jose and other urban areas, all the way up into the Sacramento area. The South Bay California Gull population has grown from less than 1,000 breeding birds in 1982 to over 33,000 in 2006. This population boom has resulted in large resident flocks of gulls that will opportunistically prey on other species, particularly the eggs and nestlings of other birds. Seriously threatened birds that share the same South Bay habitat include the Snowy Plover and California Least Tern, while less-threatened birds including Black-necked Stilts, American Avocets, Forster's Terns, and Caspian Terns are also preyed upon by the abnormally large flocks of California Gulls. Direct culling of the gulls is made difficult by the fact that they have a protective status in California. Efforts are underway to reduce habitat for this species and find other ways to disperse the large numbers of gulls. (Ackerman et al. 2006) Mono Lake is an alkaline and hypersaline lake in California, United States that is a critical nesting habitat for several bird species and is one of the most productive ecosystems in North America[citation needed]. // Satellite photo of Mono Lake Mono Craters to the right of the image are rhyolitic... San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, and the Golden Gate San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean. ... Nickname: Location of the City and County of San Francisco, California Coordinates: Country United States of America State California City-County San Francisco Government  - Mayor Gavin Newsom Area  - City  47 sq mi (122 km²)  - Land  46. ... Nickname: Capital of Silicon Valley Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ... Nickname: River City Location of Sacramento in California County Sacramento Government  - Mayor Heather Fargo Area  - City  99. ... The South Bay is a subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States and is roughly synonymous with Silicon Valley and the Santa Clara Valley. ... Binomial name Charadrius alexandrinus Linnaeus, 1758 The Kentish Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus, is a small wader in the plover bird family. ... Trinomial name Sterna antillarum browni Mearns The California Least Tern, Sterna antillarum browni, is a subspecies of Least Tern that breeds in bays of the Pacific Ocean within a very limited range in Orange County, San Diego County and extreme northern Mexico. ... Binomial name Himantopus mexicanus Müller, 1776 The Hipo, Himantopus mexicanus, is a locally abundant resident of American wetlands and coastlines, from the coastal areas of California, much of the interior western United States and along the Gulf of Mexico as far east as Florida [1], then south to Peru... Binomial name Recurvirostra americana Gmelin, 1789 The American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana) is a large wader in the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

References

• BirdLife International (2004). Larus californicus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

• 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. 61pp.

• Burger, Joanna & Gochfeld, Michael (1996): 13. California Gull. In: del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew & Sargatal, Jordi (editors): Handbook of Birds of the World, Volume 3: Hoatzin to Auks: 604-605, plate 50. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 84-87334-20-2

• Harrison, Peter (1991): Seabirds: An Identification Guide. Houghton Mifflin.

• Jehl, Joseph R. Jr. (1987): Geographic variation and evolution in the California Gull (Larus californicus). Auk 104(3): 421–428. PDF fulltext

• Jehl, Joseph R. Jr.; Francine, J; Bond, S. I. (1990): Growth patterns of two races of California Gulls raised in a common environment. Condor 92(3): 732–738. PDF fulltext

• Karl, S. A.; Zink, R. M.; Jehl, Joseph R. Jr. (1987): Allozyme analysis of the California Gull (Larus californicus). Auk 104(4): 767–769. PDF fulltext

• National Geographic Society (2002): Field Guide to the Birds of North America. National Geographic, Washington DC. ISBN 0-7922-6877-6

• Sibley, David Allen (2000): The Sibley Guide to Birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. ISBN 0-679-45122-6

• Winkler, D. W. (1996): California Gull (Larus californicus). In: Poole, A. & Gill, F.: The Birds of North America 259. The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA & The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.

BirdLife International is the international conservation organization working to protect the world’s birds and their habitats. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... Handbook of Birds of the World vol. ... The Auk is a quarterly journal and the official publication of the American Ornithologists Union, having been continuously published by that body since 1884. ... Genera Vultur Gymnogyps Condor is the name for a species of New World vultures. ... The Auk is a quarterly journal and the official publication of the American Ornithologists Union, having been continuously published by that body since 1884. ... Flag of the National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society, is a not-for-profit scientific organization based in the United States. ...

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 Information and Photos - South Dakota Birds and Birding