Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis

✨ Shiny — winter rarity
Winter only — roughly November through March✨ Shiny — winter rarity

The take

Yes, Charlotte gets gulls — parking lots and lake coves fill with them every winter.

How to ID it

  • Yellow bill with a neat black ring near the tip
  • Clean gray back, white head and body, black wingtips spotted white, yellow legs
  • Sociable and opportunistic, flocking to parking lots, fields, and beaches

Field marks at a glance

Size
large
Head
white (brown-streaked in winter)
Call
laughing kyow calls

Where & when

Winter only — roughly November through March

Learn more

Sources