The California Gull is famous in legend for having saved the Mormons from a plague of Mormon Crickets in Utah. The California is unique in North American gulls because it nests in the northern grasslands in the middle of the continent (which explains this California in Montana in June of 2022), then migrates southwest to the west coast to winter.
The California is another gull whose size fits nicely between Ring-billed and Herring.
As can be seen in the silhouette above, the California has a sturdy body with bulk distributed to the chest. It has a long primary projection which usually juts well beyond the tail. The California is bulkier than the Ring-billed and slightly taller and longer.
The California usually has a dark eye, a downturned gape which may show red pigment during the breeding season, and both black and red markings on the bill, though each of these attributes is variable. The bill of the California is rather long and straight, and has been described as “parallel-sided”.
As shown below (left) the hue of the gray back on the California is slightly darker than Ring-billed (and Herring) and slightly lighter than Lesser Black-backed Gull (LBBG) (right).
The California often has pale blue or blue-green legs as on this sub-adult amongst Ring-bills and a LBBG.
The outer primaries of the California (left) are more extensively black, than those of the Ring-billed (right).
Particularly when compared to the immaculate juvenile (1st 2 photos below (Oregon Coast, July of 2024)), the sub-adult California (Oregon Coast, July 2022) can appear quite disheveled.
