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.
The gulls may be found scavenging abattoirs and in rubbish tips, where they will often steal food from other birds.
Taxonomy
The Pacific gull was first described by English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 from a Thomas Watling drawing, where the local name had been recorded as Troo-gad-dill. Its specific epithet refers to the Pacific Ocean.
Two subspecies are recognised:
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! Image !! Subspecies !! Distribution
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|120px||L. p. pacificus <small>Latham, 1801</small> ||from the south-east coast and Tasmania
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|120px||L. p. georgii <small>King, 1826</small> ||South Australia and Western Australia
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Description
thumb|Adult and juveniles, Cape Woolamai, Victoria
Pacific gulls are the only large gulls in their range, besides the occasional kelp gull. This species can range in length from and span across the wings. They typically weigh from . This species is mostly white, with dark wings and back, and a very thick (when compared to other gull species), powerful, red-tipped yellow bill. They have salt glands that secrete salty water through the nostrils. Young birds are mottled-brown all over, and attain their adult plumage only gradually; by its fourth year, a young Pacific gull has usually become difficult to tell apart from an adult bird.
Of the two subspecies, the nominate eastern race prefers sheltered beaches, and the western race L. p. georgii is commonly found even on exposed shores. Both subspecies nest in pairs or loose colonies on offshore islands, making a cup of grasses and sticks in an exposed position, and laying two or three mottled brown eggs.
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Juvenile pacific gull.jpg|Juvenile
Juvenile Pacific Gull in flight.jpg|Juvenile, Cape Woolamai, Victoria
Pacific gull (Larus pacificus pacificus) in flight Freycinet.jpg|Adult, Freycinet, Tasmania
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