Fauna Flora Photography

Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis

The Ring-billed Gull is the most common gull along St. Lawrence River and lakes in Montreal. The species is adapted well to the city life and it can be observed frequently to compete directly against pigeons for food.

Taxonomy

Aves > Charadriiformes > Laridae

Names in different Languages

GermanRingschnabelmöwe
EnglishRing-billed Gull
FrenchGoéland à bec cerclé
SpanishGaviota de Delaware

How to Identify

You need to get close to this species to identify. Ring-billed gulls feature a black ring around the bill, as their name indicate. This characteristic can be observed also on older juveniles. This gull is the smallest of the gulls in Montreal, Although size is a weak distinctive mark, especially when compared with the only slightly larger Herring Gull.

Where When to Spot

This species can be observed all year along the river and lakes in Montreal and it is especially abundant at the border of the river in parks like Rapids Park Lachine. It is less frequent in winter, though.Further you can spot this species in the city itself. Usually, when you spot a gull in the streets of Montreal it is a Ring-billed Gull.

SpringSummerFallWinter
Jardin Botanique de Montréal 3 0 1 0
Moulin Légaré 0 1 0 0
Parc Angrignon 15 6 3 1
Parc Bernard-Landry 2 0 0 0
Parc Mont-Royal 1 0 0 0
Parc Nature Pointe aux Prairies 1 0 0 0
Parc de la Cité 0 1 0 0
Parc de la Frayère 6 0 0 1
Parc des Rapides 2 1 1 1
Parc Île-de-la-Visitation 2 0 0 0
Saguenay St. Lawrence Marine Park 0 1 0 0
  32 10 5 3

Number of times a species has been observed, identified, and recorded. A species is reported only once per visit to a park.

Photos of Ring-billed Gull

Videos of Ring-billed Gull

You can watch these videos and many more on Muuuh's YouTube Channel.

Last updated on 2023-06-20. Written and regularly updated by Karl-Heinz Müller, Dipl. Natw. ETH, Biology. With 10 years of experience in wildlife photography, Karl-Heinz shares first-hand, on-site collected observations, photos and videos from his frequent visits to parks in the Montreal area.