Michigan

in the Great Lakes

Ring-billed Gull

Have you seen a gull with a black ring around its bill and wondered why it looked that way? The Ring-billed Gull, found on the beaches of Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas, among other places, can be identified by the black ring on its bill that appears after it lives through its first winter. It shares the beaches with the larger Herring Gull that has an orange spot on its bill.

The Ring-billed Gull’s scientific name is Larus delawarensis in comparison to the Herring Gull’s scientific name of Larus argentatus.

Click here to see more about Ring-billed Gulls.

Click here to see more about Herring Gulls.