WhenToBird

Larus brachyrhynchus · Laridae

When Do Short-billed Gulls Arrive in California?

Adult Short-billed Gull
Photo: Алексей Ябс, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Short-billed Gulls are winter birds in California: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in the second week of January (3.8% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals late October; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 3.8% of California checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 3.9% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.7% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.9% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.6% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.5% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.0% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.5% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.7% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.6% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.0% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.3% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.9% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.4% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.3% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.3% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.2% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.6% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.2% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.4% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.9% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.9% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.8% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.5% of 124993 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in California that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Del Norte CountyBest the second week of February · 236 checklists that week, 16,363 in all23%
  2. Monterey CountyBest early December · 2617 checklists that week, 132,505 in all21%
  3. San Francisco CountyBest late January · 3440 checklists that week, 130,018 in all21%
  4. Humboldt CountyBest early January · 3106 checklists that week, 95,963 in all13%
  5. Marin CountyBest late January · 3954 checklists that week, 135,728 in all12%
  6. San Mateo CountyBest late January · 4843 checklists that week, 148,781 in all9.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. San Francisco ZooSan Francisco County, best late November · 35 checklists that week, 883 in all92%
  2. Redwood CreekHumboldt County, best late January · 24 checklists that week, 406 in all90%
  3. Pier 92San Francisco County, best early March · 32 checklists that week, 1,546 in all87%
  4. Belvedere LagoonMarin County, best mid January · 26 checklists that week, 110 in all82%
  5. Outer ReachHumboldt County, best early February · 28 checklists that week, 687 in all82%
  6. Middle Harbor Shoreline ParkAlameda County, best the second week of March · 47 checklists that week, 2,089 in all79%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In California, the Short-billed Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (2.0% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 0.5% of 186053 checklists7 am: 1.3% of 444086 checklists8 am: 1.3% of 535846 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 486061 checklists10 am: 1.5% of 411130 checklists11 am: 1.7% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 1.8% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 2.0% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 2.0% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 1.9% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 1.3% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 0.5% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January3.9%3.7%3.9%3.6%
February3.5%3.0%2.5%2.7%
March2.6%2.0%1.3%0.9%
April0.6%0.4%0.2%0.2%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.3%0.7%1.3%
November2.2%2.6%3.2%3.4%
December3.9%3.9%2.8%3.5%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives early October, 3 weeks earlier than California
  • Washington: arrives mid July, 13 weeks earlier than California
  • Alaska: arrives mid April, 23 weeks later than California

Common questions

When do Short-billed Gulls arrive in California?
Short-billed Gulls are winter birds in California: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in the second week of January (3.8% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Short-billed Gulls leave California?
Most Short-billed Gulls have left California by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid March.
When is the best time to see a Short-billed Gull in California?
The Short-billed Gull is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 3.8% of California checklists.
Where in California are Short-billed Gulls seen most often?
By county, Del Norte County, Monterey County, and San Francisco County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Short-billed Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).