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 Zion National Park
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Long-billed Curlew
Numenius americanus
Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
American Avocet
Recurvirostra americana
Wilson's Snipe
Gallinago delicata
Willet
Tringa semipalmata
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of California Gull at Zion 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