CreatureData

California gull

Larus californicus Lawrence, 1854

LCLeast Concernbirds

The california gull (Larus californicus) is a species in the family Laridae, order Charadriiformes. Recorded adults weigh 649.5 g to 841 g and live up to 28 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

California gull (Larus californicus)
Photo: Frank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the california gull

Weight
649.5 g – 841 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
1.22 m – 1.4 msrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
28 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
30 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
coastalsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
25 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
2.75src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
3 years – 3.49 yearssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the california gull?

CALIFORNIA GULL · WINGSPAN 1.4 MADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 1.4 m, the recorded maximum wingspan of the california gull is about 82% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Photos of the california gull

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

California gull (Larus californicus)
Alan Vernon · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the california gull live?

Not recorded

What is the california gull?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

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.

From the Wikipedia article “California gull” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=California_gull&oldid=1382255618), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the california gull endangered?

The california gull is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the california gull classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderCharadriiformes
  5. familyLaridae
  6. genusLarus
  7. SpeciesLarus californicus Lawrence, 1854
Other names and names in other languages (38)
  • Californian gullEnglish
  • نورس كاليفورنيArabic
  • Калифорнийска чайкаBulgarian
  • Gouelan KaliforniaBreton
  • gavina de CalifòrniaCatalan
  • Калифорни чарлӑкӗChuvash
  • racek jezerníCzech
  • racek mormonskýCzech
  • gwylan CalifforniaWelsh
  • CanadamågeDanish
  • KalifornienmöweGerman
  • Indianer-MöweGerman
  • KaliforniermöweGerman
  • kalifornia mevoEsperanto
  • Gaviota californianaSpanish
  • järvekajakasEstonian
  • preerialokkiFinnish
  • Goéland de CalifornieFrench
  • kanadski galebCroatian
  • kaliforniai sirályHungarian
  • Gabbiano della CaliforniaItalian
  • カリフォルニアカモメJapanese
  • kaliforninis kirasLithuanian
  • Kalifornijas kaijaLatvian
  • PrairiemeeuwDutch
  • Californische meeuwDutch
  • præriegråmåkeNorwegian
  • mewa kalifornijskaPolish
  • gaivota-da-califórniaPortuguese
  • Калифорнийская чайкаRussian
  • čajka plavokrídlaSlovak
  • Kalifornijski galebSerbian
  • prärietrutSwedish
  • Kaliforniya MartısıTurkish
  • Каліфорнійський мартинUkrainian
  • мартин каліфорнійськийUkrainian
  • 加州鸥Chinese
  • 加利福尼亞鷗Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the california gull

Other species in the same genus Larus.

CompareCalifornia gull vs European herring gullCalifornia gull vs Common gullCalifornia gull vs Lesser black-backed gullCalifornia gull vs Great black-backed gull

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the california gull?

An adult california gull weighs 649.5 g – 841 g and has a wingspan of 1.22 m – 1.4 m, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the california gull endangered?

The california gull is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the california gull live?

The california gull has a recorded lifespan of 28 years.

What kind of animal is the california gull?

The california gull (Larus californicus) belongs to the family Laridae in the order Charadriiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). California gull (Larus californicus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/california-gull

MLA

“California gull (Larus californicus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/california-gull.

BibTeX
@misc{california_gull_2026,
  title = {California gull (Larus californicus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/california-gull},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}