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The California Gull is Utah’s state bird, chosen in 1955 to commemorate a pioneer legend of gulls saving settlers’ crops from crickets in 1848. The gull is unique as a state bird and is a medium-sized migratory bird that breeds and nests in Utah. Utah’s state insect is the honey bee, and other state symbols relate to its Mormon pioneering history.
Utah’s state bird is the California Gull, whose scientific name is Larus californicus. It is a medium-sized migratory gull, up to 21 inches (54 cm) long with a wingspan of 51 inches (130 cm). This bird is known to breed and nest in parts of Utah near Utah Lake and Great Salt Lake, but gets its name from its habit of spending the winter season in California and Oregon.
The California gull was made the state bird of Utah on February 14, 1955. This designation was made in remembrance of a pioneer legend, which states that a flock of gulls saved Mormon settlers’ crops by eating an overabundance of crickets in 1848. This “Miracle of the Gulls” is commemorated by a monument unveiled in Salt Lake City in 1913 that features two sculptures of gulls.
Larus californicus has a white body that sometimes appears pearly blue. Its upper wings and back are gray and its bill is yellow and ringed in black at the tip. Its legs are yellowish green. The Utah state bird eats fish, eggs, insects, earthworms, fruits, and waste materials such as human garbage. It is capable of aeronautical feats, such as seeming to hover in mid-air by making precise use of wind currents.
Utah’s state bird is unique in that no other U.S. state has chosen a seagull for its symbol. The most commonly chosen state bird is the cardinal, designated by seven states: West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, and Virginia. Other popular state birds are the western lark, designated by six U.S. states, and the thrush, designated by five states.
In addition to Utah’s state bird, a significant symbol for this US state is the honey bee. Apis mellifera was chosen as the state insect in 1983. Among the symbols on Utah’s state seal is a beehive representing the principle of industry, said to be demonstrated by early settlers that they had few resources to survive . Utah’s unofficial nickname is “Beehive State.” The bee is also included among the official symbols of 12 other US states.
Aside from the California Seagull, two other state symbols of Utah are related to its Mormon pioneering history. The state fish is the cutthroat trout, Salmo clarki, which features the Bonneville cutthroat as a subspecies that played a role as a food source for early Mormons in the area. The tallow lily bulb, now the state flower of Utah, is also said to have been an important source of nutrition for early Mormon settlers during a harsh winter.
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