Ring-billed Gull

Another common gull, the Ring-billed Gull engages in the typical tomfoolery such as stealing your picnic, hanging out in garbage dumps and parking lots, and stealing food from other birds. When garbage dumps and French fries aren’t readily available, they deploy a range of hunting techniques from snatching insects out of midair to fishing in shallow water. Despite being a “sea” gull, many Ring-billeds may never see the ocean; they’ll winter in the southern US and Mexico, and nest on the prairies of Canada. Large colonies of Ring-billeds nest together on the ground, and a small percentage of them will be two-female couples. These gals find male mates but keep them around only as long as strictly necessary (which is to say, not very long). They then each lay one clutch, which they raise together.

Due to habitat loss and hunting, Ring-billed Gulls became threatened in the early 1900s. Protection under migratory bird acts in 1917 and 1918 helped the species recover and resume their role as an endearing pest.

I saw this gull on February 11 at Blakie Spit in Surrey.