![]() In the summer, during breeding season, they are found in parts of northwestern Wyoming, northern Utah, western Nevada, and northern California. The birds are found in different regions depending on the season. The species has been reported to live in California, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. They are found in regions of Mexico, the west coast of the United States, the Great Plains, and western Canada. Geological Survey, Western Ecological and Research Center, Davis and Vallejo, CA.California gulls are North American birds. (2006) California Gull distribution, abundance, and predation on waterbird eggs and chicks in South San Francisco Bay. "Growth patterns of two races of California Gulls raised in a common environment" (PDF). "Allozyme analysis of the California Gull ( Larus californicus)" (PDF). "Geographic variation and evolution in the California Gull ( Larus californicus)" (PDF). Reno, NV, USA: University of Nevada Press. ^ "Larus californicus California gull".^ a b Sibley, David Allen (2000): The Sibley Guide to Birds.^ CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses by John B.^ "Duck Pond, Palo Alto Yacht Harbor".Ĭontrary to its name, the California Gull is the state bird of Utah. ![]() Efforts are underway to reduce habitat for this species and find other ways to disperse the large numbers of gulls. 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. 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. The South Bay California gull population has grown from less than 1,000 breeding birds in 1982 to over 33,000 in 2006. These California gulls now inhabit large, remote salt-production ponds and levees and have a very large food source provided by nearby landfills from San Francisco, San Jose and other urban areas, all the way up into the Sacramento area. However, in recent decades this species has begun to breed in the southern portion of San Francisco Bay, where it did not historically breed, and has undergone exponential population growth. In California, the California gull recently held the protected status California Species of Special Concern due to declining numbers at their historic California breeding colony at Mono Lake. Finley's and Bohlman's photographs would later help Malheur become a bird refuge in 1908. Finley and Herman Bohlman during a 1908 photograph trip to the area. Hand-painted glass slide of a colony of California gulls at Malheur Lake, Oregon, taken by William L. Although these subspecies are not well distinguishable by mtDNA allozyme variation, 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. albertaensis with a more northerly distribution, ranging from Great Slave Lake onto the Great Plains of western Manitoba and South Dakota. There are two subspecies recognized, the nominate from the Great Basin to central Montana and Wyoming, and the slightly larger, paler L. A monument in Salt Lake City commemorates this event, known as the " Miracle of the Gulls". This is the state bird of Utah, remembered for assisting Mormon settlers in dealing with a plague of Mormon crickets. As a result, it may be regarded as a crop pest. They may follow fishing boats or plows in fields for insects stirred up by this activity.Ĭalifornia gulls are also known to eat various vegetables and fruits, particularly cherries. They have been known to steal food directly from people at picnics and outdoor restaurants. They frequently beg for food at public beaches, parks and other locations where people will hand feed them. Opportunistic feeders, they also scavenge at garbage dumps, marinas and docks. They mainly eat insects, fish and the eggs and young of other birds, especially ducklings. These birds forage in flight or pick up objects while swimming, walking or wading. It is only then that this bird is regularly found in western California. They are migratory, most moving to the Pacific coast in winter. Both parents take turns feeding their chicks. The nest is a shallow depression on the ground lined with vegetation and feathers. They nest in colonies, sometimes with other birds. Their breeding habitat is lakes and marshes in interior western North America from the Northwest Territories, Canada south to eastern California and Colorado.
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