The Ring-Billed Gull Near The Niagara Falls, USA

The Ring-Billed Gull spotted with its child

This handsome gray and white gull is the most commonly seen gull in Western NY, spotted as often on the water as it is in fields, refuse dumps or parking lots scavenging for food scraps. This familiar, medium-size gull is an agile flier, and is distinguished from other gulls by the black ring around the end of its slim bill. It has a typical gray colored mantle above and is white below, and the yellow legs it acquires once it becomes an adult help distinguish it from the 19 species of gulls which can be seen in Western NY in numbers over 100,000 individuals. The best time to view a panoply of gull species in Western NY is in the winter, when many arctic and western gulls species can be seen in Lake Ontario and the Niagara River.