page_title: Western gull
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Western gull / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: Western gull (Larus occidentalis) in flight over the cliffs of Bodeda Head Deutsch: Westmöwe (Larus occidentalis) im Flug über den Klippen von Bodega Head
context_page_description: The western gull is a large white-headed gull that lives on the west coast of North America. It was previously considered conspecific with the yellow-footed gull of the Gulf of California. The western gull ranges from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico.
context_section_description: The western gull is a large gull that can measure 55 to 68 cm (22 to 27 in) in total length, spans 130 to 144 cm (51 to 57 in) across the wings, and weighs 800 to 1,400 g (1.8 to 3.1 lb). The average mass among a survey of 48 gulls of the species was 1,011 g (2.229 lb). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 38 to 44.8 cm (15.0 to 17.6 in), the bill is 4.7 to 6.2 cm (1.9 to 2.4 in) and the tarsus is 5.8 to 7.5 cm (2.3 to 3.0 in). The western gull has a white head and body, and gray wings. It has a yellow bill with a red subterminal spot (this is the small spot near the end of the bill that chicks peck in order to stimulate feeding). It closely resembles the slaty-backed gull (Larus schistisagus). In the north of its range it forms a hybrid zone with its close relative the glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens). Western gulls take approximately four years to reach their full plumage, their layer of feathers and the patterns and colors on the feathers. The western gull typically lives about 15 years, but can live up to 25 years. The largest western gull colony is on the Farallon Islands, located about 26 mi (40 km) west of San Francisco, California; an estimated 30,000 gulls live in the San Francisco Bay area. Western gulls also live in the Oregon Coast.
caption: Western Gull in flight over the cliffs of Bodega Head
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS 7D Mark II", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Capture One 9 Macintosh", "Image DateTime": "2016:01:24 11:50:51", "Image Artist": "Frank Schulenburg", "Image Copyright": "Frank Schulenburg", "Image ExifOffset": "278", "GPS GPSVersionID": "[2, 3, 0, 0]", "GPS GPSLatitudeRef": "N", "GPS GPSLatitude": "[38, 182153/10000, 0]", "GPS GPSLongitudeRef": "W", "GPS GPSLongitude": "[123, 38777/10000, 0]", "GPS GPSAltitudeRef": "0", "GPS GPSAltitude": "7/10", "GPS GPSTimeStamp": "[19, 51, 14951/500]", "GPS GPSSatellites": "25", "GPS GPSStatus": "A", "GPS GPSMeasureMode": "3", "GPS GPSDOP": "9/5", "GPS GPSImgDirectionRef": "M", "GPS GPSMapDatum": "WGS-84", "GPS GPSDate": "2016:01:24", "Image GPSInfo": "994", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1336", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "1745", "EXIF DateTime": "2016:01:24 11:50:51", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/1000", "EXIF FNumber": "9", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Shutter Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "200", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2016:01:24 11:50:51", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2016:01:24 11:50:51", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "10", "EXIF ApertureValue": "51/8", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "-2/3", "EXIF SubjectDistance": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "400", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "4430", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2957", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "5472000/899", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "3648000/599", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Manual"}