California Gull

Utah Winter Gulls

by Dennis Shirley

     California Gull (similar species)

Breeding Adult - red orbital ring and dark eye; white, black and red on tip of bill, yellow legs
Photo by Mike Ware Copyright 2004 Mike Ware

Non-breeding Adult - has spots on the wingtips unlike the 3rd winter bird.
by Ryan Houston ©Ryan Houston

Juvenile - dark bill with pink base (adult in background)
by Lu Giddings ©Lu Giddings

1st Winter - notice long pink bill with black tip
by Paul Higgins ©Paul Higgins

2nd Winter - gray mottling on back and wings
by Ryan Houston ©Ryan Houston

California Gull

Similar Species

1st Winter Ring-billed - is slightly smaller, shorter-billed. Adult Ring-billed paler gray on mantle, with white eyes, black bill ring. First-winter Ring-billed whiter below than same age Cal.; shows pale gray on back and tail with thinner, dark subtermenal band. Third-winter California Gulls amy show distinct black ring on bill, but have darker mantles than Ring-bills and never have pale eyes.

3rd winter to Ring-billed - has a lighter mantle and always a lighter eye

1st winter Heermann's (no photo) - looks like a juvenile California but has dark undertail coverts and black legs

Herring Gull - is larger with stouter bill; adult paler on mantle, with pink legs, light eye

Mew Gull - much smaller, with shorter, slimmer bill.

1st Winter Heermann's Gull - is similar to juvenile California Gull but has dark undertail coverts and black legs.

1st winter Ring-billed - is lighter below, has more gray on back,
has slightly smaller, shorter bill
Photo by Ted Fitzgerald ©Ted Fitzgerald

1st Winter Ring-billed - has thinner dark subtermenal band on the tail
than a 1st Winter California Gull
by Kent Keller ©Kent R. Keller

Non-breeding Adult (which looks like a 3rd Winter except it has white spots on the wings) -
3rd Winter California may show a black ring on bill, but has a darker mantle and never a pale eye.
Photo by Ted Fitzgerald ©Ted Fitzgerald