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Short-billed Gulls were observed in 44 squares across the northern third of Saskatchewan. Breeding was confirmed in seven squares, including a mixed colony of Short-billed and Ring-billed Gulls and Common Terns in the vicinity of the Cigar Lake Mine; and a single nest within a colony of Common Terns approximately 100 km east of Black Lake. Nesting was documented as early as June 9th on Landsdowne Lake, northwest of Cree Lake. Most observations were of five or fewer individuals, with larger numbers reported near the Cigar Lake Mine and the Wheeler River Project.

Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:

The Short-billed Gull (formerly Mew Gull) is the smallest of the white-headed gulls in North America and a yellow-billed northern replacement of the Ring-billed Gull. A resident of Siberia, Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and northwest British Columbia, it extends its breeding range into northern Saskatchewan and rarely into extreme northeastern Manitoba (Churchill). It winters along the Pacific Coast as far south as Baja California (Moskoff and Bevier 2002).

The Short-billed Gull is most commonly found near bodies of water in northern Saskatchewan, especially in the Lake Athabasca region. During the mating season it tends to populate marshes, lakes, and rivers, while during the winter or migratory season it can often be found in harbours, bays, mudflats, beaches, and even garbage dumps along the Pacific Coast (Godfrey 1986).

In the northern third of Saskatchewan, the Short-billed Gull replaces its close relative the Ring-billed Gull as the common medium-sized gull. Elsewhere it is a rare spring or fall transient (Smith 1996).

Original text by Eric C. Ehman. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky

Read more about the Short-billed Gull in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.

LeeAnn M. Latremouille

Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Short-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=SBIG&lang=en [14 Nov 2025]