California Gull
Larus californicus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusLarus (Large White-headed Gulls)
- SpeciesLarus californicus (California Gull)
The California gull (Larus californicus) is a medium-sized gull, smaller on average than the herring gull, but larger on average than the ring-billed gull (though it may overlap in size with both). Although named after California, it can be found annually across most of western North America, from the Canadian prairie provinces in the northeast and south through western Mexico. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Short-billed Gull
Larus brachyrhynchus
Glaucous-winged Gull
Larus glaucescens
American Herring Gull
Larus smithsonianus
Black-tailed Gull
Larus crassirostris
Iceland Gull
Larus glaucoides
Glaucous Gull
Larus hyperboreus
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaea
Black-legged Kittiwake
Rissa tridactyla
Aleutian Tern
Onychoprion aleuticus
Bonaparte's Gull
Chroicocephalus philadelphia
Sabine's Gull
Xema sabini
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of California Gull at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
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