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Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis ORDER: CHARADRIIFORMES FAMILY: LARIDAE

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

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Familiar acrobats of the air, Ring-billed Gulls nimbly pluck tossed tidbits from on high. Comfortable around humans, they frequent parking lots, garbage dumps, beaches, and fields, sometimes by the hundreds. These are the gulls you're most likely to see far away from coastal areas—in fact, most Ring-billed Gulls nest in the interior of the continent, near freshwater. A black band encircling the yellow bill helps distinguish adults from other gulls—but look closely, as some other species have black or red spots on the bill.

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Calls

  • Calls
    Recorded by Randolph Scott Little
    • Courtesy of Macaulay Library
    © Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Adult Ring-billed Gulls are noisy birds with a varied vocal repertoire. Among their most common utterances is a high-pitched, rising squeal of what may sound like indignation or outrage, followed by a series of short exclamatory notes.

Find This Bird

Look for these gulls in parking lots, at sporting events, and around sewage ponds and garbage dumps. You may see them foraging for insects and worms in newly plowed fields, or perching atop light poles near shopping malls and fast-food restaurants. They also frequent reservoirs, lakes, marshes, mudflats, and beaches.

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Search the Macaulay Library online archive for more sounds and videos