The Beautiful Heermann's Gull

January 7, 2010 in New Birds and Gulls with 6 comments

Have you ever seen a Heermann's Gull? These birds live on the west coast of the United States and Mexico. There are about 150,000 pairs of them and 95% of these nest on the island of Isla Rasa off Baja California. Audubon calls it one of North America's most beautiful gulls. Among other gulls in this area, Heermann's Gulls are easy to identify: breeding adults are dark gray above and light gray below, they have a white head and bright red bill with black tip. They are about the same size as a Ring-billed Gull. Isla Rasa is included in the Islas del Golfo California Biosphere Reserve. Because so many of these birds nest in one place, the entire species is vulnerable to disturbances there, which include harvesting of eggs by fishermen, industrial development and predation by introduced mammals.

2 of 2 Heermann's Gull (Larus heermanni) Villa Creek beach, Estero Bluffs, Cayucos

Photo by Mike Baird (via Flickr)

Photo by Mary Angelini (via Flickr)

If you like this cute gull, check out our other Birdorable terns and gulls.

Comments

Canaduck on January 7, 2010 at 8:23 PM wrote:

They are lovely gulls indeed. I was fortunate enough to see them once on a trip to southern CA.

Canaduck on January 7, 2010 at 8:30 PM wrote:

Hey, what's with the stray GW (or whatever) gull in that pic?

Arthur on January 7, 2010 at 8:46 PM wrote:

Good spotting, it's a mixed flock! ;)

Mary Angelini on March 29, 2010 at 4:52 PM wrote:

Hey, thanks for publishing my picture and giving me a shout out, I really appreciate it - Great site by the way!!! - Mary Angelini

abigail on June 5, 2010 at 2:49 PM wrote:

Gulls are cute and you want to give them all the bread, well DON'T! because they'll poop on you and they'll want more once all your bread is gone!

Louise Warner on February 27, 2017 at 7:45 AM wrote:

i love gulls ( well we do have a lot. )

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