Quick identification
Ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis)
A medium gull with pale gray back, yellow legs and a yellow bill crossed by a black ring. Young birds are mottled brown and gray.
Season and local range: Common cool-season visitor.
Habitat and island setting
Beach, bay, jetties, causeway flats and freshwater gathering sites.
Where to look
Mixed winter gull flocks at Isla Blanca, the town beach and causeway are the easiest places to compare it with laughing gulls. Birds may move as tides, wind, fronts, water levels and activity at the site change.
What the bird is doing
Resting gull flocks conserve energy between feeding periods. Walk around the edge rather than repeatedly pushing the flock down the beach.
Watching birds
Use binoculars or a camera zoom, stay on public paths and leave feeding, resting and nesting birds enough room to continue normal behavior. If a bird stops feeding, stands alert, calls repeatedly or moves away because of you, increase the distance. Check access information in the South Padre Island birding guide before making a special trip.