Illustration from National Geographic's Field Guide to the Birds of North America
Western Gull
Larus occidentalis
March 7, 1806, at Fort Clatsop, Oregon.
Snow white, with dark slate-colored back and wings. Yellow eye and bill; breeding adult has a red dot near tip of lower mandible. Pinkish or flesh-colored feet. Length: 24-27 in (61-69 cm).
Squeals and raucous notes.
Coastal waterways, beaches, harbors, dumps; open ocean.
Breeds on Pacific coast from Washington to Baja, California. In winter regularly occurs north to British Columbia.
The large gulls of the Pacific coast have a common ancestor but evolved separately in isolation.
