CreatureData

Western gull

Larus occidentalis Audubon, 1839

LCLeast Concernbirds

The western gull (Larus occidentalis) is a species in the family Laridae, order Charadriiformes. Recorded adults weigh 799.8 g to 994.5 g and live up to 27.8 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Western gull (Larus occidentalis)
Photo: Diliff · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the western gull

Weight
799.8 g – 994.5 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
1.32 m – 1.42 msrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
27.8 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
33.9 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
marinesrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
26.8 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
3src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
4 years – 5 yearssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the western gull?

WESTERN GULL · WINGSPAN 1.42 MADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 1.42 m, the recorded maximum wingspan of the western gull is about 84% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Where does the western gull live?

Not recorded

What is the western gull?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The western gull (Larus occidentalis) is a large white-headed gull that lives on the west coast of North America and the Pacific Ocean. The western gull ranges from British Columbia, Canada, to Baja California, Mexico.

It was previously considered conspecific with the yellow-footed gull (Larus livens) of the Gulf of California.

From the Wikipedia article “Western gull” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Western_gull&oldid=1372269550), 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 western gull endangered?

The western 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.

How is the western gull classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderCharadriiformes
  5. familyLaridae
  6. genusLarus
  7. SpeciesLarus occidentalis Audubon, 1839
Other names and names in other languages (38)
  • نورس غربيArabic
  • Западна чайкаBulgarian
  • gavià occidentalCatalan
  • racek západníCzech
  • gwylan y GorllewinWelsh
  • Amerikansk SvartbagDanish
  • WestmöweGerman
  • okcidenta mevoEsperanto
  • Gaviota occidentalSpanish
  • kiltkajakasEstonian
  • کاکایی غربیPersian
  • amerikanmerilokkiFinnish
  • Goéland d'AudubonFrench
  • Goéland d’AudubonFrench
  • שחף מערביHebrew
  • obalni galebCroatian
  • nyugati sirályHungarian
  • Gabbiano occidentaleItalian
  • アメリカオオセグロカモメJapanese
  • vakarinis kirasLithuanian
  • rietumu kaijaLatvian
  • Eʼeʼaahdę́ę́ʼ tónteel tsídiiNavajo
  • Californische MeeuwDutch
  • Pacifische mantelmeeuwDutch
  • kaliforniasvartbakNorwegian
  • mewa zachodniaPolish
  • gaivota-ocidentalPortuguese
  • gaivota-de-pés-rosadosPortuguese
  • Западная чайкаRussian
  • čajka pláštikováSlovak
  • Zapadni američki galebSerbian
  • västtrutSwedish
  • Batı Amerika MartısıTurkish
  • мартин західнийUkrainian
  • Mòng biển phương tâyVietnamese
  • 西方鷗Chinese
  • 西美鷗Chinese
  • 西美鸥Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the western gull

Other species in the same genus Larus.

CompareWestern gull vs European herring gullWestern gull vs Common gullWestern gull vs Lesser black-backed gullWestern gull vs Great black-backed gull

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the western gull?

An adult western gull weighs 799.8 g – 994.5 g and has a wingspan of 1.32 m – 1.42 m, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the western gull endangered?

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

How long does the western gull live?

The western gull has a recorded lifespan of 27.8 years.

What kind of animal is the western gull?

The western gull (Larus occidentalis) 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). Western gull (Larus occidentalis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/western-gull

MLA

“Western gull (Larus occidentalis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/western-gull.

BibTeX
@misc{western_gull_2026,
  title = {Western gull (Larus occidentalis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/western-gull},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}