California Gull
Utah’s state bird is an inland gull whose vast Great Salt Lake gatherings connect nesting islands, farm fields, wetlands, and migration routes.
Artwork inspired by Mabel Frazer
California Gulls are medium-sized, long-winged gulls with a gray back, black wingtips spotted with white, and a yellow bill marked by both red and black near the tip. Great Salt Lake islands and shorelands support nesting and staging concentrations, while birds commute widely to fields and freshwater.
Use bill pattern, leg color, size, and mantle shade together; immature gulls require more caution. Watch from causeways and public wetlands without approaching colonies. Low lake levels can connect nesting islands to predators, making human disturbance especially costly.
- Role
- Utah state bird
- Stronghold
- Great Salt Lake
- Diet
- Fish, insects, refuse
Quick guide
- Opening clue
- Red-and-black bill mark
- Confirm separately
- Gray mantle
Field decisions for California Gull
- Bill
- Find adjacent red and black marks near the tip.
- Shape
- Look for long wings and a moderately heavy body.
- Compare
- Larger than Ring-billed, smaller than many Herring Gulls.
- Distance
- Never approach nesting islands or roped colonies.
Good to know
A close image of California Gull is not automatically decisive: habitat, timing, full structure, and the alternative species considered should remain part of the record.
Notice these
- Red-and-black bill mark
- Gray mantle
- White-spotted black wingtips