Ring-billed gull

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Project Description

Ring-Billed Gull

Larus delawarensis

 

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.

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