Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis (Ord, 1815)
IN
RIBGU
5890
Family: Charadriiformes > Laridae
A little larger than Common Gull, the Ring-billed Gull is a scarce visitor to the UK from North America.
Ring-billed Gull was added to the British List in 1973, when one was seen on Blackpill Beach, Swansea on 14 March. Many more Ring-billed Gulls have been seen since then and, although still a scarce visitor to Britain, they can turn up in any month of the year.
Ireland and the western half of the Britain hold the lion’s share of records, though a decline in the North American breeding population has seen a decline in new arrivals to our shores.
Select a topic for more facts and statistics about the Ring-billed Gull
BTO RECORDS
Identification
Ring-billed Gull identification is sometimes difficult.
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Browse training coursesStatus and Trends
Population size and trends and patterns of distribution based on BTO surveys and atlases with data collected by BTO volunteers.
CONSERVATION STATUS
This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.
| IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global) |
Least Concern 
|
| Schedule 1 license required (to disturb) | No |
| Birds Directive Annex 1 | No |
POPULATION SIZE
We have no population estimates for this scarce species.
| BOU Category | A |
|
First Record
|
Glamorgan, 1973 |
DISTRIBUTION
This species is a rare vagrant and was recorded during Bird Atlas 2007–11 as shown on the map.
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Britain and Ireland Breeding Distribution 2008-2011.
More from the Atlas Mapstore. -
Britain and Ireland Winter Distribution 2008-2011.
More from the Atlas Mapstore.
Occupied 10-km squares in UK
| No. occupied in breeding season | 1 |
| % occupied in breeding season | 0.03 |
| No. occupied in winter | 87 |
| % occupied in winter | 2.9 |
DISTRIBUTION CHANGE
This vagrant has been recorded in several atlases so we have been able to map distribution changes. However, as a rarity these may not show a consistent pattern of change.
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Britain and Ireland Breeding Distribution Change 1968–72 to 2008–11.
More from the Atlas Mapstore. -
Britain and Ireland Winter Distribution Change 1981–84 to 2007–11
More from the Atlas Mapstore.
| % change in range in winter (1981–84 to 2007–11) | +124.3% |
SEASONALITY
Ring-billed Gull is a rare vagrant, usually recorded in winter and often involving birds returning to the same area in consecutive winters.
Movement
Information about movement and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.
RINGING RECOVERIES
View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.
Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland
Biology
Lifecycle and body size information about Ring-billed Gull, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.
PRODUCTIVITY & NESTING
Sample sizes are too small to report Productivity and Nesting statistics for this species.
BIOMETRICS
Sample sizes are too small to report Biometrics for this species.
Feather measurements and photos on featherbase
CODES & CLASSIFICATION
|
Field Codes
|
2-letter: IN | 5-letter code: RIBGU | Euring: 5890 |
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Links to more information from ConservationEvidence.com
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