Anatomy: The Ring-Billed Gull is about 18 to 21 inches (45-53 cm) long with a 20 inch (50 cm) wingspan. It weighs about 1.5 pounds (0.7 kg). Adults (who mature at three years of age) are mostly white; juveniles are a mottled brown.

Diet: Ring-Billed Gulls are carnivores (meat-eaters) who hunt in the sea. They eat fish (including smelt), earthworms, insects, small rodents (like mice), and even roadkill.

Predators: Predators of the ring-billed gull include the coyote, fox, raccoon, dog, mink, rat, great-horned owl, and others.

Reproduction: Like all gulls, the ring-billed gull is a colonial breeder; it nests along inland lakes and along the seacoast with hundreds of other gulls. Females lay 3 buff-colored eggs in each clutch. Nests are made of grass and plant stalks.

Classification: Kingdom Animalia (animals), Phylum Chordata (animals with a notochord), Subphylum Vertebrata (vertebrates), Class Aves (birds), Family Laridae (gulls and terns), Genus and species Larus delawarensis.