Western Gull

Western Gull (Larus occidentalis) is in the Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers family (Laridae). Across the U.S., iNaturalist users have logged 70,125 research-grade observations of it in our sample, peaking in August.

Seasonal pattern in the national data: year-round resident. Counts also reflect when people are out photographing, so compare months within a state rather than across states.

When to photograph Western Gull: observations by month (U.S.)

About Western Gull

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...From Wikipedia via iNaturalist — article, CC BY-SA.

Western Gull by state

Main season = months with at least 30% of the state's peak-month count.

Related birds (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)

Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis

Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla

American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus

Royal TernThalasseus maximus

Forster's TernSterna forsteri

California GullLarus californicus

Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia

Heermann's GullLarus heermanni

Photography tips

• Use a fast shutter (1/2000 s or faster) for birds in flight.
• Focus on the eye and shoot at the bird's eye level.
• Approach slowly and stop if the bird changes behavior; never bait or flush birds.
• Morning activity peaks in the first two hours after sunrise.

FAQ