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Larus californicus (California Gull)

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Wikipedia Abstract

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 may overlap in size greatly with both. Adults are similar in appearance to the Herring Gull, but have a smaller yellow bill with a black ring, yellow legs, brown eyes and a more rounded head. The body is mainly white with grey back and upper wings. They have black primaries with white tips.
View Wikipedia Record: Larus californicus

Infraspecies

Larus californicus albertaensis
Larus californicus californicus

Attributes

Adult Weight [2]  1.52 lbs (691 g)
Birth Weight [2]  50 grams
Female Maturity [2]  3 years
Male Maturity [2]  3 years
Clutch Size [3]  3
Clutches / Year [2]  1
Diet [1]  Omnivore
Incubation [2]  25 days
Maximum Longevity [2]  30 years
Migration [1]  Intracontinental
Water Biome [1]  Lakes and Ponds, Rivers and Streams, Coastal

Ecoregions

Name Countries Ecozone Biome Species Report Map Climate Land
Use
Baja California desert Mexico Nearctic Deserts and Xeric Shrublands
Blue Mountains forests United States Nearctic Temperate Coniferous Forests
British Columbia mainland coastal forests Canada, United States Nearctic Temperate Coniferous Forests
California Central Valley grasslands United States Nearctic Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands
California coastal sage and chaparral Mexico, United States Nearctic Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub
California interior chaparral and woodlands United States Nearctic Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub
California montane chaparral and woodlands United States Nearctic Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub
Canadian Aspen forests and parklands Canada Nearctic Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands
Cascade Mountains leeward forests Canada, United States Nearctic Temperate Coniferous Forests
Central and Southern Cascades forests United States Nearctic Temperate Coniferous Forests
Central Pacific coastal forests Canada, United States Nearctic Temperate Coniferous Forests  
Colorado Rockies forests United States Nearctic Temperate Coniferous Forests
Eastern Cascades forests United States Nearctic Temperate Coniferous Forests
Great Basin shrub steppe United States Nearctic Deserts and Xeric Shrublands
Gulf of California xeric scrub Mexico Nearctic Deserts and Xeric Shrublands
Klamath-Siskiyou forests United States Nearctic Temperate Coniferous Forests
Mid-Continental Canadian forests Canada Nearctic Boreal Forests/Taiga
Midwestern Canadian Shield forests Canada Nearctic Boreal Forests/Taiga
Montana Valley and Foothill grasslands Canada, United States Nearctic Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands
Muskwa-Slave Lake forests Canada Nearctic Boreal Forests/Taiga
North Central Rockies forests Canada, United States Nearctic Temperate Coniferous Forests
Northern California coastal forests United States Nearctic Temperate Coniferous Forests
Northern Canadian Shield taiga Canada Nearctic Boreal Forests/Taiga
Northern Cordillera forests Canada Nearctic Boreal Forests/Taiga
Northern mixed grasslands Canada, United States Nearctic Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands
Northern short grasslands Canada, United States Nearctic Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands
Okanagan dry forests Canada, United States Nearctic Temperate Coniferous Forests
Palouse grasslands United States Nearctic Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands
Puget lowland forests United States Nearctic Temperate Coniferous Forests
San Lucan xeric scrub Mexico Neotropic Deserts and Xeric Shrublands
Sierra de la Laguna dry forests Mexico Neotropic Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests
Sinaloan dry forests Mexico Neotropic Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests
Snake-Columbia shrub steppe United States Nearctic Deserts and Xeric Shrublands
Sonoran desert Mexico, United States Nearctic Deserts and Xeric Shrublands

Protected Areas

Name IUCN Category Area acres Location Species Website Map Climate Land Use
Alto Golfo de California y Delta del Rio Colorado Biosphere Reserve VI 2320468 Sonora, Mexico  
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, CA III 184543 California, United States
Audubon National Wildlife Refuge IV 14642 North Dakota, United States
Banff National Park II 1690912 Alberta, Canada
Big Morongo Canyon Preserve Area of Critical Environmental Concern V 3906 California, United States
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area V 36286 Montana, Wyoming, United States
Boggs Lake Preserve Nature Conservancy - Preserve Ia 192 California, United States
Cabrillo National Monument V 149 California, United States
California Coast Ranges Biosphere Reserve 153447 California, United States  
Carrizo Plain Preserve Nature Conservancy - Preserve Ia 7550 California, United States  
Central Plains Biosphere Reserve 15345 United States  
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary   California, United States
Channel Islands National Park II 139010 California, United States
Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve 864738 British Columbia, Canada  
Coachella Valley Preserve Nature Conservancy - Preserve Ia 8106 California, United States
Crater Lake National Park II 180091 Oregon, United States
Craters of the Moon National Monument V 690996 Idaho, United States
Creighton Ranch Preserve Nature Conservancy - Preserve Ia 3275 California, United States  
Curecanti National Recreation Area V 31032 Colorado, United States
Death Valley National Park II 762125 California, Nevada, United States
Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge Ia   Idaho, United States
Devil's Postpile National Monument V 807 California, United States
Elk Island National Park II 47171 Alberta, Canada
Elkhorn Slough Preserve Nature Conservancy - Preserve Ia 964 California, United States  
Farallon National Wildlife Refuge IV 352 California, United States
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area V 1087901 Arizona, Utah, United States
Golden Gate National Recreation Area V 26135 California, United States
Grand Canyon National Park II 1210128 Arizona, United States
Grand Teton National Park II 231724 Wyoming, United States
Grasslands National Park II 128635 Saskatchewan, Canada
Gray Lodge State Wildlife Area State Wildlife Management Area IV 8471 California, United States
Great Basin National Park II 77367 Nevada, United States
Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve II 366714 British Columbia, Canada
Heath and Marjorie Angelo Coast Range Preserve Nature Conservancy - Preserve Ia 7008 California, United States
Jasper National Park II 2776809 Alberta, Canada
Jepson Prairie Preserve Nature Conservancy - Preserve Ia 1553 California, United States
Joshua Tree National Park II 305076 California, United States
Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park   Hawaii, United States
Kern River Preserve Nature Conservancy - Preserve Ia 834 California, United States
Knife River Indian Villages National Hist. Site National Historic Site III 1756 North Dakota, United States
Kootenay National Park II 341762 British Columbia, Canada
Lake Chelan National Recreation Area II 606367 Washington, United States
Lake Mead National Recreation Area V 670229 Arizona, Nevada, United States
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area V 103172 Washington, United States
Lanphere-Christensen Dunes Preserve Nature Conservancy - Preserve Ia 471 California, United States  
Lassen Volcanic National Park II 29388 California, United States
Lava Beds National Monument III 20002 California, United States
Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve 5901 California, United States  
Nez Perce National Historical Park V 2076 Idaho, United States
Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve 470167 Ontario, Canada  
Nipomo Dunes Preserve Nature Conservancy - Preserve Ia 3725 California, United States
Olympic Biosphere Reserve II 922805 Washington, United States
Organ Pipe Cactus Biosphere Reserve 327376 Arizona, United States  
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve II 137900 British Columbia, Canada
Padre Island National Seashore II 42068 Texas, United States
Paine Preserve Nature Conservancy - Preserve 2965 California, United States      
Point Reyes National Seashore II 27068 California, United States
Prince Albert National Park II 976762 Saskatchewan, Canada
Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve 277252 Saskatchewan, Canada
Redwood National Park II 77867 California, United States
Reserva de la Biosfera El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve VI 6176727 Mexico  
Rocky Mountain Biosphere Reserve II 239938 Colorado, United States
Rondeau Provincial Park II 5035 Ontario, Canada
San Dimas Biosphere Reserve 17161 California, United States  
San Joaquin Biosphere Reserve 4527 California, United States  
San Juan Island National Historical Park III 1674 Washington, United States
Santa Cruz Island Preserve Nature Conservancy - Preserve 46021 California, United States
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area V 38440 California, United States
Sequoia and Kings Canyon Biosphere Reserve II 172261 California, United States
Sevilleta LTER Site Long Term Ecological Research IV 228335 New Mexico, United States
Shortgrass Steppe LTER Site Long Term Ecological Research   Colorado, United States
Virginia Coast Biosphere Reserve 33386 Virginia, United States  
Waterton Biosphere Reserve II 121459 Alberta, Canada
Whiskey-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area V 197791 California, United States
Wood Buffalo National Park II 11038545 Alberta, Canada
Yellowstone Biosphere Reserve II 2196863 Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, United States
Yoho National Park II 317576 British Columbia, Canada
Yosemite National Park II 95209 California, United States
Zion National Park II 135667 Utah, United States

Ecosystems

Important Bird Areas

BirdLife Species Factsheet: View Factsheet
Name Location  IBA Criteria   Website   Map   Climate   Land Use 
American Falls Reservoir USA A4i
Amphitrite and Swiftsure Banks Canada A4i
Blackfoot Reservoir USA A4i

Biodiversity Hotspots

Name Location Endemic Species Website Map
California Floristic Province Mexico, United States No
Mesoamerica Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama No

Emblem of

Utah

Prey / Diet

Doryteuthis opalescens (california market squid)[4]

Prey / Diet Overlap

Competing SpeciesCommon Prey Count
Alopias vulpinus (Zorro thresher shark)1
Anoplopoma fimbria (Skil)1
Arctocephalus townsendi (Guadalupe Fur Seal)1
Brachyramphus marmoratus (Marbled Murrelet)1
Callorhinus ursinus (Northern Fur Seal)1
Caulolatilus princeps (Bighead tilefish)1
Cerorhinca monocerata (Rhinoceros Auklet)1
Citharichthys sordidus (Sanddab)1
Delphinus delphis (Short-beaked Saddleback Dolphin)1
Enhydra lutris (Sea Otter)1
Eopsetta jordani (Petrale sole)1
Gavia arctica (Black-throated Loon)1
Genyonemus lineatus (White croaker)1
Hippoglossus stenolepis (Pacific halibut)1
Kogia breviceps (Pygmy Sperm Whale)1
Larus canus (Mew Gull)1
Larus glaucescens (Glaucous-winged Gull)1
Larus heermanni (Heermann's Gull)1
Lissodelphis borealis (Northern Right Whale Dolphin)1
Merluccius productus (Whiting)1
Mirounga angustirostris (Northern Elephant Seal)1
Ophiodon elongatus (Lingcod)1
Phalacrocorax penicillatus (Brandt's Cormorant)1
Phoca vitulina (Harbor Seal)1
Phocoena phocoena (Harbor Porpoise)1
Phocoenoides dalli (Dall's Porpoise)1
Prionace glauca (Tribon blou)1
Puffinus creatopus (Pink-footed Shearwater)1
Puffinus griseus (Sooty Shearwater)1
Puffinus tenuirostris (Short-tailed Shearwater)1
Raja rhina (Longnose skate)1
Sebastes flavidus (Yellowtail rockfish)1
Sebastes goodei (Rockfish)1
Tursiops truncatus (Bottlenosed Dolphin)1
Uria aalge (Common Murre)1
Zalophus californianus (California Sealion)1

Consumers

Parasitized by 
Aploparaksis filum[5]
Aprocta turgida <Unverified Name>[5]
Choanotaenia porosa <Unverified Name>[5]
Dibothrium exile <Unverified Name>[5]
Diphyllobothrium cordiceps <Unverified Name>[5]
Distomum verrucosum <Unverified Name>[5]
Euhaplorchis californiensis[5]
Hymenolepis fryei <Unverified Name>[5]
Hymenolepis stellorae <Unverified Name>[5]

Institutions (Zoos, etc.)

    Maps
Institution Infraspecies / Breed 
Moonridge Animal Park

Range Map

Link to Map
North America; Oceania;

External References

Audio

Play / PauseVolume
Provided by eNature via Myxer Author: Lang Elliot

Photos

Citations

Species recognized by Banks R.C., 22-Sep-2011, ITIS Global: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System in Catalog of Life 2011
Attributes / relations provided by ♦ 1Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2006. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed February 01, 2010 at animaldiversity.org ♦ 2de Magalhaes, J. P., and Costa, J. (2009) A database of vertebrate longevity records and their relation to other life-history traits. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 22(8):1770-1774 ♦ 3Jetz W, Sekercioglu CH, Böhning-Gaese K (2008) The Worldwide Variation in Avian Clutch Size across Species and Space PLoS Biol 6(12): e303. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060303 ♦ 4CephBase - Cephalopod (Octopus, Squid, Cuttlefish and Nautilus) Database ♦ 5Gibson, D. I., Bray, R. A., & Harris, E. A. (Compilers) (2005). Host-Parasite Database of the Natural History Museum, London
Ecoregions provided by World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF). WildFinder: Online database of species distributions, ver. 01.06 gis.wwfus.org/wildfinder
Protected Areas provided by Biological Inventories of the World's Protected Areas in cooperation between the Information Center for the Environment at the University of California, Davis and numerous collaborators.
Biodiversity Hotspots provided by Biodiversity Hotspots, Conservation International
Important Bird Areas provided by BirdLife International (2010) Important Bird Areas. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 29/12/2010
Images provided by Google Image Search
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
Range map provided by Ridgely, R. S., T. F. Allnutt, T. Brooks, D. K. McNicol, D. W. Mehlman, B. E. Young, and J. R. Zook. 2007. Digital Distribution Maps of the Birds of the Western Hemisphere, version 3.0. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia, USA.
Data provided by NatureServe in collaboration with Robert Ridgely, James Zook, The Nature Conservancy - Migratory Bird Program, Conservation International - CABS, World Wildlife Fund - US, and Environment Canada - WILDSPACE.
Weather provided by NOAA METAR Data Access
Institution information provided by International Species Information System - May 2011
Audio software provided by SoundManager 2