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Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis ORDER: CHARADRIIFORMES FAMILY: LARIDAE

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

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Ring-billed Gull Photo

© O.S. Pettingill/CLO

A familiar parking lot gull, the Ring-billed Gull breeds primarily inland in North America. It can be found along the coasts, but many of these "seagulls" never see anything except fresh water all their lives.

Inside Birding
For complete information on this species, visit The Birds of North America Online.

Appearance

Gulls
Gulls
Typical Voice

Adult Description

  • Medium-sized gull.
  • Yellow bill with black ring near the tip.
  • Head and underparts white.
  • Back light gray.
  • Wingtips black with white spots.
  • Legs yellow.

Immature Description

Juvenal plumage: Dirty, grayish brown head, back, and chest. Back feathers with light tips, giving a scaly appearance. Underparts streaked or barred, especially on the flanks. Tail gray with black band near tip. Wingtips black. Bill black with lighter base. Eyes dark. Legs pinkish.
First Winter (Basic I): Head and nape white with gray mottling. Pale gray feathers on back, some with dark tips. Mottled brown feathers on wings. Underparts white with some gray markings or barring. Wingtips black. Bill pinkish with outer third black, and very tip pink. Tail whitish with black band near tip. Eyes dark brown. Legs pinkish.
First Summer (Alternate I): Head and nape white with sparse light mottling. Back light gray. Wings with worn brown feathers and blackish wingtips. Bill pinkish with outer third black, and very tip pink. Legs pinkish. Eyes dark.
Second Winter (Basic II): Head and nape white with gray mottling. Back and wings light gray. Breast, sides, and flanks white. Tail white with broken dark band near tip. Wingtip feathers dark brown to black with only small white tips, if any. Bill yellowish with large black band near tip. Legs yellowish.

Range Map Help

Ring-billed Gull Range Map
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Similar Species

  • Herring Gull larger, with pinkish legs in adult, no black ring around bill, and red spot on lower mandible. Immature Herring Gull with broader black band on tail, may have broad dark ring around bill.
  • California Gull has red spot on lower mandible along with its broken black ring, a slightly longer bill, greenish legs, and a slightly darker mantle. Young California Gulls have a broad dark tail band.
  • Mew Gull is smaller and daintier and has a smaller bill. Its bill is pure yellow or with a faint ring in the adult but has a black ring in second winter. The white spots on the outer wingtips are larger in Mew Gull than in Ring-billed Gull.