Ring-billed Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis

Silhouette: Jason Dilworth · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Celestún Biosphere Reserve

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

88 Verified sightings at Celestún Biosphere Reserve From 2019 to 2026
26,706 In all 34 parks
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Ring-billed Gull

The ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis) is a medium-sized gull native to North America, breeding in Canada and the northern Contiguous United States, and wintering mainly in the United States and northern Mexico. The genus name is from Latin Larus which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific delawarensis refers to the Delaware River.

The ring-billed gull is a medium-sized gull, having an average length of 43 to 54 centimetres (16.9 to 21.3 in) and a wingspan that ranges from 105 to 117 centimetres (41.3 to 46.1 in). Adults weigh from 300 to 700 grams (10.6 to 24.7 oz).

The head, neck and underparts are white; the relatively short bill is yellow with a black ring; the back and wings are silver grey with black wingtips with white 'mirrors'; and the legs are yellow. The eyes are yellow with red rims. This gull takes three years to reach its breeding plumage starting with the largely brown juvenile plumage, its appearance changing with each fall moult.

The average lifespan of an individual that reaches adulthood is 10.9 years. The oldest ring-billed gull on record was observed in Cleveland in 2021, still alive at the age of 28 years... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:18

Canada · 2023

© Tom Cooney · XC1103911 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Recording0:13

Canada · 2018

© Grégoire Chauvot · XC918482 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call0:20

United States · 2013

© Paul Marvin · XC161501 · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~60%
2 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~50%
3 Padre Island National Seashore 🇺🇸 United States
~50%
4 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~40%
5 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
6 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~40%
7 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~40%
8 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
9 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
10 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
11 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
12 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
13 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
14 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
15 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
16 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
17 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
18 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
19 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
20 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
21 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
22 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
<5%
23 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
24 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
25 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
26 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
27 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
28 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
29 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
30 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
31 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
32 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
33 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
34 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
~70%
2 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
~70%
3 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
~60%
4 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
~40%
5 Calgary 🇨🇦 Canada
~40%
6 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
7 Denver 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
8 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
9 Detroit 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
10 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
~30%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Cameron Park Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 Animal Forest 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
3 South Carolina Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Ring-billed Gull in Celestún Biosphere Reserve?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Ring-billed Gull sighting in Celestún Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 88 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 135th most-seen of the 297 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Ring-billed Gull in Celestún Biosphere Reserve?

April

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Ring-billed Gull in Celestún Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in June to December, the lowest months. That is one of Celestún Biosphere Reserve's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 160 mm in June.

What time of day is best to see a Ring-billed Gull?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ring-billed Gull sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where does the Ring-billed Gull sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Ring-billed Gull is recorded against all the birds logged in Celestún Biosphere Reserve (88 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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