Ring-billed gull

Two ring-billed gulls in flight, one carrying a fish in its bill, Manitoba

Pale grey wings tipped in black, yellow legs, and a clean black ring around the bill give the ring-billed gull its name and its tidy look. One of the most familiar gulls in Manitoba, it is as comfortable over a lake or river as it is circling a parking lot, a field, or a shoreline.

Ring-billed gulls eat fish, insects, earthworms, and almost anything else they can scavenge, and they will readily chase one another for a catch. Young birds are mottled brown and grey and take about three years to reach adult plumage, and the species nests in noisy colonies on islands and open shorelines through the summer.

Want to learn more about the ring-billed gull and where it lives? Visit its page at All About Birds.

Here is one of my favourite frames of this bird: two ring-billed gulls in flight, one carrying a fish.

Field notes in photographs

  • Two ring-billed gulls in flight, one carrying a fish in its bill, over a blurred grey background, Manitoba
  • Ring-billed gull perched on a weathered driftwood branch beside a herring gull, Manitoba
  • Ring-billed gull standing on a boulder
  • Ring-billed gull resting on a rail
  • Ring-billed gull standing close to the camera with a yellow bill and spotted plumage
  • Two ring-billed gulls greeting each other on a muddy shore
  • Ring-billed gulls perched on a dock, one with wings spread, against a blue sky
  • Ring-billed gulls perched on a wooden dock railing
  • Close-up portrait of a ring-billed gull showing its yellow bill with a black ring and red eye ring
  • Ring-billed gull - row of gulls perched along a dock railing by the lake
  • Herring gull - small group of shorebirds and gulls on pale shallow water

Ring-billed gull Manitoba sightings

Where and when you can find the ring-billed gull in Manitoba depends on the season and the habitat. You can see more species in the Manitoba birds section.

Map of Manitoba showing where the ring-billed gull nests, with major cities and lakes
Where to look for the ring-billed gull in Manitoba through the seasons: nesting in the Boreal Shield, the Boreal Plains, and the Prairies (gold). Habitat regions: National Ecological Framework for Canada. Boundaries: Statistics Canada. Lakes: Natural Earth.

Back to Manitoba bird photography, or see the portfolio.

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