Ring-Billed Gull

"Tina, look at the seagulls outside!”

Not something I expected to hear being in Missouri and on a day with cold, windy and rainy weather. The only place I had ever seen seagulls is Florida and other beaches in the South. So when Linda told me to look at the seagulls I thought to myself “yeah right” and walked over to the window.  Sure enough there they were. I saw three large white birds soaring through the strong breeze and dipping their beaks briefly into the choppy water to catch fish. I could not believe my eyes. Was the wind so strong it blew these guys all the way from Florida?

Come to find out it is apparently not uncommon to see gulls in the Midwest, especially during winter when the birds are migrating south. In fact, 19 of the world’s 45 gull species have been sighted on the Mississippi River near St. Louis. The gulls that visited us yesterday were not exactly typical “seagulls” but they were definitely in the same family as the birds I observed on beach vacations. The sky was very cloudy and the windows were fogged up due to the rain so I did not get as good of a look as I would have liked. I stepped outside briefly and used my binoculars to get a better look and I have come to the conclusion that the birds were “Ring-Billed Gulls”.

First of all let me explain why we saw these gulls inland. They nest and breed in the northern states and Canada, then migrate to the South for winter. It is during this period of migration that the birds can be found around any river, lake or stream. I always thought gulls were only around saltwater but many of them live near freshwater or at least visit freshwater sites during migration. I guess these birds saw the lake by the bookstore and decided it would be good enough to grab a snack from. Since it was windy the birds looked like they had to work extra hard to fly but they coasted along in circles until they found the spot in the water they wanted to dive to. The strong wind made the water rough which brought the fish closer to the surface. It was really cool watching them catch the fish. They did not do it like the Kingfisher, who dove almost completely into the water headfirst catching the fish. Instead, the gulls would fly down to the water and sit briefly almost like a duck and put their beak in the wavy water and then quickly fly away once they caught some food. It was very interesting to see this unique type of fishing.

Like most gulls, Ring-Billed Gulls are opportunistic feeders and will eat earthworms, insects, and even scavenge through dumpsters for trash. The Ring-Billed Gull has the nickname of “Fast Food Gull” since it is frequently seen hanging around fast food restaurants looking for food.  I think it should be “Dumpster Diver” because according to my research they love to eat trash out of dumpsters, off plows and they even follow ships and feed off of the refuse dumped overboard. It seems they will pretty much eat anything.

The Ring-Billed Gull resembles your typical “beach” seagull. It is mostly white with pale grey pointed wings and black on the tips. Adults are 19 inches long and have a wingspan of 49 inches. It was hard to differentiate this gull from the others found in the Midwest since they are so similar. However the reason I believe I saw this type of gull and not the similar Herring Gull, is because I saw black on its beak and the Ring-Billed Gull has a black ring around its beak.

Like many other birds, the Ring-Billed Gull returns to the place they were hatched once it is time for breeding. They then return to the same breeding ground year after year often nesting just within a few meters of last year’s nest site.  They lay 1-4 eggs and the eggs are olive colored with dark brown speckles. The chicks are semiprecocial at hatching which means that they are hatched with eyes open, covered with down, and capable of leaving the nest soon after hatching. Some of the gulls may leave the nest cup at just one day old. Even when they leave the nest they still stay around and get fed by the parents until it is time to fledge. They usually fledge after around 5 weeks.

I am not sure where these birds came from or how far they were traveling. They were probably just dropping by for a snack on their way to their winter homes. I am just lucky that Linda caught a glimpse of them when she did so that I could witness these three out of the ordinary (for SCC) birds. I feel lucky to live in the center of the country during this migrating time. I hope other various ‘foreign’ birds stop by for a visit. Because the day may have been cold, windy and gloomy, but seeing these guys in flight made my day a little bit brighter.