Short-Billed Gull

Larus brachyrhynchus

Also known as: American Mew Gull

About This Species

Scan harbours, beaches and coastal lagoons along the Pacific coast of North America, where this small gull associates with other gulls on tidelines and around fishing activity. It is a compact, short-billed gull best told from larger relatives by its size and gentler expression, and winters in large numbers along ice-free shorelines. Cooler months bring the biggest concentrations, when birds gather to feed on invertebrates exposed by the tide.

Ethical Viewing Guidelines

Keep a respectful distance from resting or feeding flocks, particularly at high-tide roosts where disturbance forces birds to waste energy relocating.
Gulls are protected under migratory bird legislation across much of their North American range, though the specifics differ between the United States and Canada, so treat any close approach or flushing of a roost as something to avoid rather than test.
A slow, indirect approach from a vehicle or hide causes far less disruption than walking straight at a flock.

NEAvesCharadriiformesLaridae

Seasonal Activity

668,440 sightings · 2000–2026

Citizen science records via GBIF

All monthsThis month

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Laridae

Photo

CC-BY-NC-4.0

Occurrence data from GBIF.