What is the State Bird of Utah? (And Why?)

Utah is the 30th most populous US state and the 13th largest by area. Utah has an abundance of different habitats for birds and animals, from sand dunes to pine forests in valleys. Utah’s state animal is the Rocky Mountain elk, but what is the state bird?

Beehive Utah chose the California gull (Larus californicus) as its state bird in 1955. Whether by the lake, grassy yard, or park, this snowy white bird with its gray wings and black story will put on a gorgeous show. The feathered Sunday suit on this bird gives it a well-dressed, sophisticated feel.

Utah’s State Bird, the California Gull

Why is the California Gull the State Bird of Utah?

In 1848, the humble California gull saved the state’s inhabitants. That year, a plague of Rocky Mountain crickets invaded the state. Crickets began eating up all of Utah farmers’ crops, destroying local food sources in an era when food was transported on railroad cars or on horseback. Seagulls swoop in and feed on crickets, saving the state. They eat the pests, saving remaining crops and the state’s food source. While grateful, Utah took a moment to say thank you.

When did the California gull become Utah’s state bird?

On Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1955, Governor J. Bracken Lee signed House Bill 51, making it Utah Code 63-13-9. Talk about sending a sweet valentine.

California gull hovering over tuff

What does Utah’s state bird look like?

California gulls look a lot like herring gulls or ring-billed gulls, with sizes somewhere in between. The bird’s chest and upper body are white, but their wings are light gray. Typically, these birds have yellow beaks with a black tip.

California gulls are 18 to 22 inches long from head to tail. Its wingspan ranges from 48 to 51.2 inches. These large birds are 15.2 to 36.9 ounces heavier than most.

california gull

California Seagull Behavior

Built for flight, the nimble California gull forages in oceans and lakeshores, as well as inland. Known for their strength, they dive into the water and catch their prey in flight. No one says no to a street fight, this gull will hunt for food or brawl on foot.

These gulls breed on sparsely populated islands with little vegetation. They love dikes, inland lakes and rivers. They do not forage like most birds. Rather than pecking at the ground, these birds seek out dumps and parking lots as often as they peck at brush and pasture. They also forage in orchards and farms, which is how they managed to keep an entire state free from starvation in the 1800’s. The subspecies bred in the Great Basin of the western United States are smaller and darker-skinned than those bred in the Great Plains.

When they reproduce, it’s a complicated matter. They first solicit the attention of a potential mate. They then entertain their favorite mates by feeding them. They also practice choking, an exercise that inflates the neck and keeps it in an S shape, with the chest pointing toward the ground. The male uses head tosses and neck stretches to show his manliness. He also tweets using a mating phone.

Once the gulls pair, they lay eggs together. They breed only one litter per season. A typical brood consists of two to three eggs. The outside of the egg is gray or dark brown.

The eggs take 23 to 27 days to hatch. Once they hatch, the parents have another 45 days until they reach the fledgling stage.

California gull in flight

Do California gulls form communities?

California gulls nest in flocks, occasionally with other birds. They build shallow nests in depressions in the ground out of twigs, litter, dry grass, and feathers. They range from Canada to the interior states of the United States.

These long-lived birds live full and abundant lives, living up to 24 years and 11 months. Based on USGS strip data, this is the oldest known gull.

flock of california gulls

What Do California Seagulls Eat?

California gulls love seafood. This may not be surprising considering where they come from, but these gulls are actually fishing. They’re doing the same thing on Utah’s lakes that they do on the Pacific coast—dive-bombing waterways.

These gulls eat whole fish and feast on a variety of seafood when they fly to California. On the shores of lakes in Utah, they eat animal carcasses that wash ashore. They also eat berries, grains and insects. Earthworms and snails also affect their diet. While on the coast, these birds love to eat crabs.

When necessary, they also eat small mammals, reptiles and feces. As subsistence foragers with multi-decade lifespans, these birds will eat anything that isn’t too big to fit in their mouths. You don’t live to be nearly 25 years old like a bird without some serious survival skills.

A Juvenile California Gull

The IQ of California Seagulls

While no one has actually tested their IQs, the behavior of these birds reveals something about their intelligence. Humans often think of themselves as the only animals that can make tools, but seagulls have developed this skill, too.

Instead of forming tools, though, they devised ways to use objects in nature as tools. For example, a seagull will grab a mollusk with its beak and fly over a sharp rock, throwing the mollusk onto the rock. This causes their hard shells to crack. They swoop down to eat the sea life inside.

They also learned to pantomime. Seagulls have learned to imitate the sound and feel of rain by stamping their feet on the ground. This tricks the worms into thinking they sense rain. They come to the surface for water, and the gulls eat them.

Seagulls can teach their young. Seagulls memorize all this information and innately know that their young are not born with this knowledge. They teach them mollusc tricks and stomping ground tricks, among other things.