 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
Click for a larger version or to add map overlays |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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1.57 (0.208 - 2.75)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Atlas results coming soon
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
The Ring-billed Gull was nearly extirpated by human persecution and development between 1850 and 1920, but it has since rebounded to become a common and familiar bird. Food available in garbage dumps is believed to have contributed to this increase. Ring-billed Gulls breed from southern Canada to the northern US and winter from extreme southwestern and southeastern Canada to southern Mexico and the Greater Antilles (AOU 1998).
Ring-billed Gulls nest in large colonies on islands in lakes and reservoirs, usually in association with other gulls and other colonial birds (Smith 1996). Exceptions include nesting on sandy peninsulas at Last Mountain Lake and a sandbar in the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon. When foraging, this gull may be seen around water bodies, at garbage dumps, and following farm machinery.
Except for its absence in the subarctic, this is our most frequently encountered white-headed gull. It is best described as a common summer visitant and locally breeding bird. Most observations are of non-breeding birds or those from distant colonies. The only known sites in the northern boreal forest, at Little Gull Lake and near Key Lake (SBDB), are shared with its close relative, the Short-billed Gull. Most of the few southern boreal sites are shared with the Herring and/or California Gulls and many southern sites with the California Gull.
Original text by C. Stuart Houston and Mary I. Houston. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Ring-billed Gull in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Ring-billed Gull in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=RBGU&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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