A medium-sized gull with a yellow bill ringed in black, pale gray wings, and yellow legs. The "parking lot gull" — the most common gull at McDonald's drive-throughs and Walmart lots across the continent.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The ring-billed gull is a medium-sized gull native to North America, breeding in Canada and the northern Contiguous United States, and wintering mainly in the United States and northern Mexico. The genus name is from Latin Larus which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific delawarensis refers to the Delaware River.
Source: Wikipedia — Ring-billed gull Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Medium gull with a clean yellow bill encircled by a complete black ring, pale eyes, yellow legs, and a pale gray back with black wingtips.
Similar species. Herring Gull is larger with pink legs and a red (not ringed) bill spot; California Gull has a darker eye and red-and-black bill marks. The full black bill ring is key.
Voice. A high, laughing 'kee-kee-kee' and mewing calls.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Omnivorous: fish, invertebrates, scavenged food, eggs.
Behavior. The familiar 'parking-lot gull' of inland North America; an omnivorous opportunist common at fast-food lots, fields, and lakeshores. Has rebounded strongly from past persecution.
§ Range
Across North America; breeds inland, winters widely
§ Habitat
Lakes, rivers, parks, parking lots, garbage dumps
§ Threats
Botulism outbreaks in summer, oil spills, plastic pollution.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the ring-billed gull is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Don't feed gulls in parking lots or beaches. Properly dispose of trash. Support clean water programs.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Ring-billed gull
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Larus delawarensis
- IUCN Red List — search for Larus delawarensis
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Larus delawarensis
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
