Species: Larus delawarensis

Ring-billed Gull

Species

Birds

Show on Lists

Salish Sea-reliant birds

Terrestrial vertebrates: birds

Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Craniata

Class

Aves

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Laridae

Genus

Larus

NatureServe

Source:
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100423

Classification

Other Global Common Names

Gaivota-de-Bico-Manchado - Gaviota Pico Anillado - goéland à bec cerclé

Informal Taxonomy

Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Other Birds

Formal Taxonomy

Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Charadriiformes - Laridae - Larus

Ecology and Life History

Migration

true - true - true - Arrives in northern breeding areas April-May (Bent 1921). Nonbreeders widespread in summer, from Alaska and northern Canada south through wintering range (AOU 1983). Some, mostly first- or second-year birds, reach Central America, mainly early November-late May (Stiles and Skutch 1989).

Non-migrant

true

Locally Migrant

true

Food Comments

Feeds opportunistically on various animals and plant material (and garbage), usually obtained from land or water surface; sometimes catches flying insects and pulls fruits from shrubs and trees.

Reproduction Comments

Eggs are laid in May-June. Clutch size usually is 3. Incubation, by both sexes, lasts about 21 days. Young are tended by both parents, fed until able to fly. Usually attains adult plumage in 3 years. May form female-female pairs or polygynous trios.

Ecology Comments

Fox predation may result in reproductive failure of local breeding colonies (Southern et al. 1985). May prevent terns from nesting by usurping habitat. Breeding individuals foraged an average of 11 km from colony (Baird 1977).

Length

Weight

566

Conservation Status

NatureServe Global Status Rank

Global Status Last Reviewed

1996-11-27

Global Status Last Changed

1996-11-27

Other Status

LC - Least concern

Distribution

Conservation Status Map

Global Range

BREEDING: Washington to Manitoba, south to northeastern California, Colorado, South Dakota; north-central Ontario to Newfoundland, south to eastern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, northern New England and New Brunswick. Nonbreeders occur in summer north to central Alaska, southern Yukon, southern Mackenzie, and southeastern Keewatin, and south through wintering range. NON-BREEDING: coast from southern British Columbia to southern Mexico, rarely south to Costa Rica and Panama; southeastern Canada to Gulf coast, Bahamas, and Greater Antilles; interior from Great Lakes to central Mexico; frequently in low numbers in Hawaii. See Spendelow and Patton (1988) for information on distribution and abundance in coastal U.S., including the Great Lakes region.

ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100423