Western Gull
Larus occidentalis












Species Facts
Conservation Status: IUCN Least Concern, USFWS Bird of Conservation Concern
Description: A large, white-headed gull. Adults have a bright yellow bill, dark grey on their back and wings with black tips on the primaries, and pink legs. Juveniles are a mottled grey and take four years to fully mature into their adult plumage.
Play Western Gull call:
Where to find them: Coastal areas along the Pacific, from Canada down to the northern part of Mexico. Beaches and bays are great places to spot them.
Fun Facts:
- When we raise orphaned Western Gulls in care, we try to place them with an adult Western Gull patient so they can learn species appropriate behaviors from them.
Threats: Oil spills and other contaminants, collisions, habitat loss
How YOU can Help: Clean up after you visit the beach – always leave natural spaces better than when you found them.
Audio clip from www.xeno-canto.com Recorded by Thomas G. Graves XC644888
Additional photography courtesy of Julie Matsuura, Nicholas DeNezzo, and Scott Jack