California Gull Research Ask a Scientist

Did you know that California Gulls did not breed in San Francisco Bay until 1980?

Prior to that, they only bred inland at saline lakes like Mono Lake.

​Now nearly 50,000 California Gulls come to breed in San Francisco Bay every spring. This will be SFBBO’s 40th year monitoring their population growth and movements.
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These birds are predators and can eat the eggs and chicks of shorebirds like threatened Western Snowy Plovers, which is why monitoring their breeding is so important.
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Want to hear more about the impact of gulls and the work that SFBBO is doing? Check out this KALW radio story that featured California Gulls at Mono Lake and San Francisco Bay.

​Thanks to the Waterbird Team for answering these questions!​