USGS Home
Contact USGS
Search USGS

RING-BILLED GULL Larus delawarensis L17" (45cm)

The ring-billed gull is the most common gull found in North Dakota. This gull derives its name from the black ring located near the tip of its bill. It usually nests in colonies which are located on sparsely vegetated islands of large lakes and rivers. The nest is built on the ground and consists of grass, weeds, and rubbish. The female lays 2-4 grayish brown eggs with an incubation period lasting 21 days. The ring-billed gull will often fly many miles to find food. It feeds at city garbage dumps, along the shorelines of lakes and rivers, and in various cropland fields. Its diet consists of small rodents, dead fish, discarded food scraps, insects, and the eggs of other nesting bird species.