Short-billed Gull
Short-billed GullShort-billed GullShort-billed GullShort-billed Gull

Short-billed Gull

Larus brachyrhynchus

10–20% · With luck
overall probability at Olympic National Park
5,280 Verified records at Olympic National Park
October Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The short-billed gull (Larus brachyrhynchus) is a species of gull that breeds in northwestern North America. In North America, it was previously known as the mew gull, when it was considered conspecific with the palearctic common gull (Larus canus). Most authorities, including the American Ornithological Society in 2021, have split the two populations as distinct species. Wikipedia →

10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Short-billed Gull sighting in Olympic National Park, based on 5,280 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Olympic National Park

Glaucous-winged Gull
LC

Glaucous-winged Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus glaucescens

30–40% · Possible
California Gull
LC

California Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus californicus

10–20% · With luck
Heermann's Gull
NT

Heermann's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus heermanni

5–10% · With luck
Western Gull
LC

Western Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus occidentalis

5–10% · With luck
Ring-billed Gull
LC

Ring-billed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus delawarensis

<5% · Rare
Iceland Gull
LC

Iceland Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus glaucoides

<5% · Rare
American Herring Gull
LC

American Herring Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus smithsonianus

<5% · Rare
Glaucous Gull
LC

Glaucous Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Larus hyperboreus

Insufficient data
Slaty-backed Gull
LC

Slaty-backed Gull

☀️🌙 Day & Night Bird

Larus schistisagus

Insufficient data
Caspian Tern
LC

Caspian Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hydroprogne caspia

<5% · Rare
Bonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

<5% · Rare
Black-legged Kittiwake
VU

Black-legged Kittiwake

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Rissa tridactyla

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

10–20
Jan
10–20
Feb
10–20
Mar
10–20
Apr
<5
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
10–20
Aug
10–20
Sep
30–40
Oct
30–40
Nov
20–30
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
60–70%
2 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
30–40%
3 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
30–40%
4 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
20–30%
5 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
6 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
20–30%
7 Kenai Fjords National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
8 Gates of the Arctic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
9 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
10 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
11 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
12 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
13 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
14 Nahanni National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
15 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Short-billed Gull in Olympic National Park?

About 14% of wildlife watchers report a Short-billed Gull sighting in Olympic National Park, based on 5,280 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Short-billed Gull in Olympic National Park?

October has the highest sighting rate for Short-billed Gull in Olympic National Park in our monthly data.

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