{"id":119650,"date":"2024-01-13T04:43:10","date_gmt":"2024-01-13T11:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=119650"},"modified":"2024-01-13T11:41:19","modified_gmt":"2024-01-13T18:41:19","slug":"california-gull-a-misnamed-gull-species","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/01\/13\/california-gull-a-misnamed-gull-species\/","title":{"rendered":"California Gull – A Misnamed Gull Species"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I photographed a winter California Gull at my local pond two days ago, I thought about how these gulls are a misnamed species for the umpteenth time.<\/p>\n

\"PortraitPortrait of a California Gull calling in spring of 2015 \u2013 Nikon D810, f10, 1\/1600, ISO 400, +0.3 EV. Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

California Gulls do breed in some small areas of California; that is true. These large, white-headed gulls also breed in much larger numbers in other geographical areas of the Interior West.<\/p>\n

Take a peek at the range map for this species on Allaboutbirds.org<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

It is easy to see that California Gulls are year round residents in only little areas of California.<\/p>\n

\"WinterWinter California Gull floating on silvery water \u2013 Nikon D500, tripod mounted, f8, 1\/2000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

But they are year round residents in areas of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and Montana which means they nest in those locations too.<\/p>\n

While the name “California Gull” might suggest that they are primarily found in California, their range and habitat extend far beyond the state’s borders, making them a common sight in several western states.<\/p>\n

I see and photograph California Gulls in the Great Basin of Utah all year long. This is the gull I photographed two days ago.<\/p>\n

\"CaliforniaCalifornia Gull in winter plumage, January 2022\u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

California Gulls do seem misnamed to me much like “Ring-billed Duck” would be a better name for that waterfowl species because the ring of a Ring-necked Duck<\/span><\/a> isn’t always as visible as the ring on their bill is.<\/p>\n

With all of the bird name changes that will be happening in 2024, perhaps adding a few misnamed birds to the list wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Just a thought.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/span> to see more of my California Gull photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As I photographed a winter California Gull at my local pond two days ago, I thought about how these gulls are a misnamed species for the umpteenth time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":119640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,27,520,1022,709,26],"tags":[4004,4053,4333,4072,4142,11978,5423,3539,521,4230,4246,2127,10698,1984,4046,4156,8317,165,8018,3996,373,5480],"class_list":["post-119650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-california-gulls","category-davis-county-utah","category-salt-lake-county-utah","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-breeding-plumage","tag-california-gull","tag-calling","tag-close-up","tag-desert-island","tag-floating","tag-gull","tag-gulls","tag-larus-californicus","tag-nonbreeding-plumage","tag-open-bill","tag-park","tag-pond","tag-portrait","tag-resting","tag-silvery","tag-spring","tag-urban","tag-water","tag-winter","tag-winter-plumage"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/california-gull-calling-mia-mcpherson-2671.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-v7Q","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":100954,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/03\/21\/urban-california-gull-in-soft-morning-light\/","url_meta":{"origin":119650,"position":0},"title":"Urban California Gull In Soft Morning Light","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 21, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week I spent a few minutes focused on photographing an urban California Gull in soft morning light at a pond close to home.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult California Gull in soft morning light, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/california-gull-adult-morning-light-mia-mcpherson-2145.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/california-gull-adult-morning-light-mia-mcpherson-2145.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Utah","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 8, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Since I frequently get asked which is which I thought this would be a good time to do a winter California and American Herring Gull comparison and ID feature post.","rel":"","context":"In "American Herring Gulls"","block_context":{"text":"American Herring Gulls","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/gulls\/herring-gulls\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Herring Gull - California Gull Comparison and ID Features, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/herring-california-gull-winter-adult-comparison-mia-mcpherson-0305.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/herring-california-gull-winter-adult-comparison-mia-mcpherson-0305.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Really weird.","rel":"","context":"In "California Gulls"","block_context":{"text":"California Gulls","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/gulls\/california-gulls\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"California Gull giving me the eye, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/california-gull-willow-pond-utah-mia-mcpherson-8945.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/california-gull-willow-pond-utah-mia-mcpherson-8945.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/california-gull-willow-pond-utah-mia-mcpherson-8945.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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taking a short break yesterday morning I went down to my local pond for a few minutes and took a few California Gull photos while I was there.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"California Gull going into breeding plumage, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/california-gull-going-into-breeding-plumage-mia-mcpherson-0797.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/california-gull-going-into-breeding-plumage-mia-mcpherson-0797.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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