#1285 · 🐦 birds

Western Gull

🇳🇱 Californische Meeuw ·Larus occidentalis

LCleast concern 🐦 Birds 📍 outside Europe

8 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences

what is it?

The western gull ( Larus occidentalis ) is a large white-headed gull that lives on the west coast of North America. It was previously considered conspecific with the yellow-footed gull ( Larus livens ) of the Gulf of California. The western gull ranges from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico, 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...

base stats

NL sightings 0iNaturalist, research grade
worldwide 83,640iNaturalist observations
weight 973 gadult, up to
threat LCleast concern

Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).

fun facts

No confirmed wild sightings in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: you'd have to travel for this one.
83,640 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
Weighs only about 973 g.
Scientifically named by John James Audubon in 1839 (187 years ago).