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Yellow-footed Gull

Gulls SilhouetteGulls
Yellow-footed GullLarus livens
  • ORDER: Charadriiformes
  • FAMILY: Laridae

Basic Description

Yellow-footed Gulls are handsome seabirds—their dark gray upperparts, inky black wingtips, and bright yellow feet are a unique combination among North American gulls. The small population of just 40,000 breeding individuals nests exclusively on desert islands in Mexico's Gulf of California. These large, opportunistic gulls forage along shorelines and at sea, catching fish and marine invertebrates, raiding seabird colonies, and stealing food from other waterbirds. Following the breeding season, some Yellow-footed Gulls disperse annually to California’s Salton Sea.

More ID Info
Range map for Yellow-footed Gull
Year-roundBreedingMigrationNonbreeding
Range map provided by Birds of the World
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Other Names

  • Gaviota de Cortés (Spanish)
  • Goéland de Cortez (French)
  • Cool Facts