Abstract
Mortality among breeding adult California Gulls (Larus californicus) was low and spread throughout the breeding season in five years of a six-year study. In one year, nesting habitat decreased by 65%, mortality was 3-11 times higher and was concentrated during the period of intense territorial defense. Apparently, some displaced gulls that attempted to reclaim territories near their previous nest sites encountered resistance from territory holders. This resulted in death from trauma, especially among relatively small birds. In general there was a tendency for deaths among females to predominate in the first half of the breeding season and among males, in the latter half. Unlike the situation in British Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus), I found no indication of increasing adult mortality at the end of the nesting season.
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