Birds
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis · also called ring-billed gulls
Patrolling a parking lot as confidently as it would a lakeshore, a ring-billed gull carries the one feature that gives it away instantly, a neat black ring encircling its yellow bill, a mark that makes this common North American gull easy to name on sight.
Overview
The ring-billed gull, Larus delawarensis, is a medium-sized, highly adaptable gull native to coastal and grassland habitat across much of North America. Its distinctive black-ringed bill, remarkable comfort around people and human development, and dramatic twentieth-century population expansion make it one of the most familiar and successful gull species found anywhere on the continent.
A gull built for the modern world
Few gulls have adapted to human development as thoroughly as the ring-billed gull, which now finds as much opportunity in a parking lot or fast-food lot as it once found only along natural shorelines and lakes.
Status
Least Concern, remaining abundant and widespread across suitable coastal and grassland habitat throughout North America.
Ring-billed Gull: common questions
How can you identify a ring-billed gull?
This species is named for the neat black ring encircling its yellow bill, a distinctive feature combined with pale grey upperparts, a white head and body, and yellow legs that makes it one of the easier gulls to recognise at a glance.
Why is the ring-billed gull often seen in parking lots?
This species is extremely comfortable around people and has adapted well to human development, frequently found far from water scavenging in parking lots, fast-food restaurants, and stadium areas where food is easy to find.
How large are ring-billed gull breeding colonies?
This species nests in large colonies, often on islands within lakes or along protected shorelines, with some colonies numbering into the tens of thousands of breeding pairs.
Has the ring-billed gull population always been this large?
No, this species expanded its population and range significantly during the twentieth century, benefiting from reduced persecution and the abundant food sources that came with growing human development across North America.