Range/Geographical Distribution: Temperate shorelines throughout North America and Mexico.
Habitat: Found on islands and around freshwater, golf courses, landfills, shopping areas, and coastal beaches.
Similar Species: Laughing gull, herring gull, royal tern, and Forester’s tern.
Description: A medium-sized gull with a white head and belly and a light grey back. Wingtips are black with white spots. Feet are yellow and bill is yellow with a black ring near the tip. Non-breeding adults have faint brown streaks on the head. Juveniles are a dappled brown.
Size: Length: 18-20” Wingspan: 41-46” Weight: 300-700g
Food: Insects, fish, grain, and garbage.
Breeding: Lays three olive-brown eggs in a nest located on the ground either in the salt marsh or on the sand. Lines the nest with grasses and nests in large colonies.
Predators: Sharks and large birds of prey.
Conservation Status: Ring-billed gulls are listed as least concern by IUCN. Depleted fish stocks, litter, loss of habitat are threats to these birds.
Interesting Facts: Ring-billed gulls have been known to hybridize with other small gulls, such as the laughing gull.
On the Coast: Ring-billed gulls return to breed at the colony where they hatched. The ring-billed gulls of Georgia return each year to nest along the Georgia coast.