Skimmers, Noddies, Terns, and Gulls
Pacific Gull
Larus pacificus
- Family
- Skimmers, Noddies, Terns, and Gulls (Laridae)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
Overview
The Pacific gull (Larus pacificus) is a gull, native to the coasts of Australia. It is moderately common in a band along the coast between Carnarvon, Western Australia, in the west, and Sydney in the east, as well as Tasmania and other islands off the continent's southern coast. It has, however, become scarce in some parts of the south-east, as a result of competition from the kelp gull.
Much larger than the ubiquitous silver gull, and much less common, Pacific gulls are usually seen alone or in pairs, loafing around the shoreline, steadily patrolling high above the edge of the water, or sometimes flying high on the breeze to drop a shellfish or sea urchin onto rocks.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Continents
Countries
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Pacific gull
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.