Yellow-footed Gull

Overview
Yellow-footed Gull: Large, dark-backed, white gull with distinctive yellow legs. Bulbous bill is yellow, red spot near tip of lower mandible. Upper wings are dark gray with white spots near tips, white trailing edges. Strong, direct flight with deep, steady wing beats. Rides thermals and updrafts.

Range and Habitat
Yellow-footed Gull: Endemic to the shores and marine waters of the Gulf of California, also wanders north to the Salton Sea in southern California after the breeding season.

INTERESTING FACTS
The Yellow-footed Gull was first described in 1919 by Jonathan Dwight, an American ornithologist. It was closely related to the Western Gull and thought to be a subspecies until the 1960s. Their status as a Gulf of California endemic has made it the focus of conservation efforts, as its population is smaller than that of any other North American gull. A group of gulls has many collective nouns, including a "flotilla", "gullery", "screech", "scavenging", and "squabble" of gulls.