California Gull
Larus californicus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Caradriformes)
- FamilyLaridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
- GenusLarus (Large White-headed Gulls)
- SpeciesLarus californicus (California Gull)
Closest Relatives at Joshua Tree National Park
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
Western Gull
Larus occidentalis
Heermann's Gull
Larus heermanni
American Herring Gull
Larus smithsonianus
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
Larus pipixcan
Leucophaeus pipixcan
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Baird's Sandpiper
Calidris bairdii
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a California Gull in Joshua Tree National Park?
About 1% of visitor-days record a California Gull sighting in Joshua Tree National Park, based on 62 observer-days of citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to see California Gull in Joshua Tree National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for California Gull in Joshua Tree National Park in our monthly data.