The Ring-billed Gull

The Ring-billed Gull is a medium-sized gull measuring 16 inches in length with a 4 foot wingspan. Its head, neck, chest and belly are white while its wings and back are a silver-gray. As its name suggests, its beak is a bright yellow with a black ring near the tip. Like the beak, its legs are yellow, and its eyes are yellow rimmed in red. During the winter its plumage is streaked with brown, and it takes three years for a young Ring-billed Gull to achieve its adult plumage.

Ring-billed Gull molts in the fall taking on their brown streaked plumage at that time.

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The Ring-billed Gull's breeding range covers a large territory. During the summer it can be seen throughout Canada, along the Great Lakes Region, and across northern New England. It migrates southward for the winter settling along the Atlantic coast as far south as Cuba, or the Pacific coast between British Columbia and Mexico. Some will take up residence along the Gulf of Mexico as well.

Their breeding habitat is usually near lakes and rivers, and occasionally along the coastline. They are often referred to as "Sea Gulls," but they are not the gulls often seen by sunbathers along the beach.

The Ring-billed Gull usually nests in colonies on small islands in lakes often sharing the space with other gulls and terns. It is not uncommon for a nest site to have as many as 1,000 pairs of Ring-billed Gulls.
The female will lay two to four eggs in a reed and rush lined hollow in the ground. Both adults incubate the eggs for three to four weeks. The chicks are fed regurgitated food by both parents and usually leave the nest within a few days. They usually fledge at four to five weeks of age.

It is not certain if the Ring-billed Gull starts breeding at two years of age or three, but they do not gain their adult plumage until the third year.

The Ring-billed Gull is an opportunistic feeder, often called scavengers. They will eat almost anything they find, insects, seeds, grain and garbage. If they come across another bird's nest, they will eat both the chicks and the eggs. They are often seen scavenging in parking lots, feasting on human refuse and litter.

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The Ring-billed Gull's voice has a hoarse, scratchy quality to it. Its voice is high pitched, and loud. It starts with a long high squeal, several abrupt calls, and ends with a long drawn out slur. Its flight call is a high, thin keeeel, keeel, keel.

There was a decline in the number of Ring-billed Gulls in the late 1800's when they were hunted for their feathers. The population recovered and has grown beyond their original numbers. They are an opportunistic bird. They often feed on refuse left by human, and will even steal unattended food from beach-goers.

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