Heermann's Gull
Larus heermanni
This gull is a master kleptoparasite, often landing on a Brown Pelican's head to steal fish directly from its pouch.
- Scientific name
- Larus heermanni
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Charadriiformes › Laridae › Larus
- IUCN Red List status
- Near Threatened
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- aquatic
- Habitat
- Coastal beaches, rocky shores, and offshore islands.
- Diet
- Small fish (sardines, anchovies), crustaceans, and stolen food from other seabirds.
- Range
- Gulf of California, Pacific Coast of North America, Isla Rasa
- Size
- Length: 46-53 cm; Wingspan: 117-124 cm
- Lifespan
- 20-25 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Climate change affecting prey availability, overfishing, and egg predation at limited breeding sites.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless but highly opportunistic. Maintain a distance of 15 feet to avoid disturbing their natural behavior. Do not offer food, as this species becomes an aggressive beggar. If pecked, wash the area thoroughly with soap and water.
The Heermann's gull ( Larus heermanni ) is a gull resident in the United States, Mexico and extreme southwestern British Columbia, nearly all nesting on Isla Rasa in the Gulf of California. They are usually found near shores or well out to sea, very rarely inland. The species is named after Adolphus Lewis Heermann, nineteenth-century explorer and naturalist.
Photo: David Batchelor, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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