Utah has a vast array of different habitats for animals, birds, dunes, and pine forests in mountain valleys. Utah has both official state animal and state bird.
When it comes to the state animal of Utah, then it is the Rocky Mountain Elk. But what about the official state bird of Utah? The state bird of Utah is the California seagull that got this status in 1955.
And In this article, I’ve explained all the facts related to the state bird of Utah.
Why did Utah choose California Gull as their state bird?
The California Gull was chosen as the state bird of Utah in 1848, these birds saved the residents of the state.
In that year, the state was invaded by a plague of Rocky Mountain crickets and they began rating all the farmer’s crops.
They destroyed the local food source in a time. These birds came to the rescue and they eat all the crickets. They saved the remaining crops and the state’s food source by eating all these pests.
When did Utah get its state bird?
On February 14, 1955, Gov. J. Bracken Lee signed into law House Bill 51 to make California gull their state bird.
What do the California gulls look like?
The California gulls are similar to the Herring Gull or Ring-billed Gull and the size of this bird falls between the two. The chest and upper area of these birds are white and their wings grow in light grey.
Generally, these birds have a yellow bill with a black tip. The length of these birds is between 18 to 22 inches and the wingspan ranges from 48 to 51.2 inches. The weight of these birds is 15.2 to 36.9 ounces.
How does California Gull behave?
The California gull normally forages on the oceans and the shores of the lakes. These birds have great strength which makes them capable to dive into the water and capture the prey in flight.
This gull will forage or fray on foot and breed on islands with less human presence. They favor levees, rivers, and inland lakes.
They don’t forage as other birds do. California Gulls look in garbage dumps and parking a lot and also forage orchards and farms.
These birds saved the entire state from starvation in the 1800s. The subspecies that breed in the Great Basin of the Western US grow smaller and darker as compared to the breeds in the Great Plains. The breeding process of these birds is a complex affair.
Both of these birds first try to get attention from their potential mates. They favored their mate by feeding them.
They also practice choking in which they hold their neck in an S shape and point their breast to the ground. The male gulls use head tosses and neck stretches to display their manliness.
Once they form a couple, they produce a brood together. They produce only one brood per breeding season.
Generally, in a single brood, there are two to three eggs and their eggs appear grey or dark brown on the outside.
The incubation period of these eggs is between 23 to 27 days and the baby birds may fledge the nest after 45 days of their birth.
Do California gulls form communities?
The nest of these birds are usually seen in colonies and occasionally with other birds. These birds nest in ground depressions using materials like trash, dry weeds, feathers, and sticks.
These birds live full and up to 24 years and 11 months. The oldest known gull lives up to 24 years and 11 months.
What do California gulls eat?
California gulls usually love seafood. These birds do the same thing they would on the Pacific coast. These birds do eat the whole fish and dine on an array of seafood when they fly to Canada.
At the lakeshores of Utah, these birds can eat dead animals that get washed onto shore. They also eat berries, insects, grains, snails, crabs, and earthworms.
The diet of these birds can also include reptiles, dung, and small mammals. These birds can eat anything that is not too big for their mouth.
Conclusion
California Seagull is the state bird of Utah which got this status in 1955. This snowy white bird usually presents a regal show whether at the lake or in a park. The diet of these birds usually consists of earthworms, small mammals, reptiles, crabs, dead animals, and some other constituents.
At last, I hope this article might have helped you in some ways. Thank you For Reading!
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