General Description
California Gull - A
medium-sized gull, the California Gull has the typical 'gull-like'
appearance'slate-gray back and wings, white head and body, and black
wingtips with white spots. The black on the wingtips is more extensive
than that of other gulls. The California Gull's eye is dark, and its
legs are greenish-yellow. The beak is yellow with red and black marks.
Juveniles are, to varying degrees, mottled brown and white, mixed with
the adult plumage, with pink legs and beak. It takes four years for
California Gulls to mature. This gull is intermediate in size between
the smaller Ring-billed Gull and the larger Herring Gull, both of which
it resembles.
Western Gull
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,
[1] 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 the
US, it is of some slight
conservation concern given its restricted range (for a gull) The Western Gull is a large gull, around 60 cm long with a white head
and body, and gray wings. It has a yellow bill with a red subterminal
spot (this is the small spot near the end of the bill that chicks peck
in order to stimulate feeding). It closely resembles the
Slaty-backed Gull (
Larus schistisagus). In the north of its range it forms a
hybrid zone with its close relative the
Glaucous-winged Gull (
Larus glaucescens). Western gulls take approximately four years to reach their full
plumage,
[2]
their layer of feathers and the patterns and colors on the feathers.
The Western Gull typically lives about 15 years, but can live to at
least 25 years.
[citation needed] The largest Western gull colony is on the
Farallon Islands, located about 26 mi (40 km) west of San Francisco, California.
[3]
the Berkeley waterfront is better known as the Berkeley Marina - oops
ReplyDeleteOh I miss Berkeley. And I'm mixed about gulls. I think they are beautiful, too. But this summer in Cornwall, a couple was walking in St. Ives (nifty little town) just ahead of us and eating a snack. A gull attacked the woman. Gulls are huge. They grabbed her pasty, scratched her arm. She was so traumatized. It was something out of Hitchcock's "The Birds." Very scary. However, people have done that to gulls, feeding them and thinking it was cute. The gull in your photo is lovely and solitary.
ReplyDeleteWell, I have been pooped on a couple of times by gulls, so I also have mixed feelings. I guess it's just like people...some you like, some not so much. Question - when we shopped in Berkeley, was that on 4th not far from the freeway?
DeleteI was looking through a bird book and now I am confused whether this is a California Gull or a Western Gull.
ReplyDeleteLots of gulls here inland. Most of the California gulls have their rookery or whatever its called here at Mono Lake. I can't tell one gull from another either. And that goes for sparrows, too. It's fun going out with birders when they start arguing about what type of gull it is or what type of sparrow: "But this little feather indicates it's a "mongo sparrow, not a bimbo sparrow." (made up names) I feel lucky enough to just know it's a sparrow. My big reaction is "Wow, that is such a pretty bird." Pam
ReplyDelete