The skies of Manitoba are home to an array of gull species, from small delicate birds to massive fierce predators. When standing along the shore of one of Manitoba’s many lakes, you’re likely to encounter a cacophony of gull cries echoing overhead. These opportunistic scavengers make their presence known as they soar and dive in search of fish, insects, or an easy meal from human hands. Get to know some of the most common gulls found gracing Manitoba’s waterways and fields. From the delicate Bonaparte’s Gull with its black hood to the massive Glaucous Gull of the far north, this guide covers 8 of the province’s most notable gull species. Learn their distinguishing features, behaviors, and the best places to spot them across Manitoba.
Table of Contents
Comparison of 8 Common Gulls in Manitoba
| Gull | Size | Plumage |
|---|---|---|
| Ring-billed Gull | Medium | Gray back, white head and underparts, yellow bill with black ring |
| Herring Gull | Large | Gray back and wings, white head and underparts, yellow bill with red spot |
| Bonaparte’s Gull | Small | Black hood, pale gray back, white tail |
| Mew Gull | Small-medium | Pale gray back, white underparts, yellow bill with red spot |
| California Gull | Medium-large | Pale gray back and wings, yellow and red bill, red eye ring |
| Thayer’s Gull | Medium-small | Pale gray back, white underparts, yellow bill with orange spot |
| Iceland Gull | Large | Very pale gray back and wings, white plumage, yellow bill with red spot |
| Glaucous Gull | Very large | Entirely white plumage, pink bill with yellow tip |
1. Ring-billed Gull
The ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis) is one of the most common and widespread gulls found across North America. In Manitoba, it is frequently seen in urban and rural areas, often scavenging in parking lots and landfills.
The ring-billed gull is medium-sized with a wingspan of around 50 inches. Adults have white heads, underparts, and tails, with gray wings and backs. As the name suggests, they have a distinctive black ring around the yellow bill. The legs are greenish-yellow. In winter, the head often becomes streaked with gray.
Ring-billed gulls eat a wide variety of foods, including fish, insects, earthworms, and garbage. They often fly inland to find food scraps at landfills and will readily beg for food from humans. They are bold and opportunistic.
Ring-billed gulls nest in huge colonies near water. The nest is a scrape in the ground lined with vegetation, feathers, or other debris. They lay 2-4 eggs that are olive to brown with dark splotches. Both parents incubate the eggs and care for the chicks when they hatch after about 4 weeks. The young fledge in about 5 weeks.
Many ring-billed gulls migrate south for the winter, though some remain further north if open water is available. They winter along both coasts of North America as far south as Central America and the Caribbean.
Ring-billed gulls are a common sight across the province, easily identified by their medium size, pale gray backs, black-ringed yellow bills, and association with human activity. They are comfortable around people and will readily scavenge in urban areas. Their loud calls are a familiar sound near lakes and rivers across Manitoba.
2. Herring Gull
The herring gull (Larus argentatus) is a large, common gull that breeds across Canada and winters along both coasts. It is frequently seen around water and human habitation in Manitoba.
Adult herring gulls are quite large with a wingspan approaching 60 inches. They have pale gray upperparts, white underparts and head, and pink legs. The yellow bill is heavy with a red spot on the lower mandible. The eyes are pale yellow.
Herring gulls eat a wide variety of foods. They are opportunistic feeders, often scavenging on fish, intertidal creatures, insects, earthworms, eggs and young of other birds, and garbage. They readily hang around fishing boats and docks looking for an easy meal.
These large gulls nest in colonies, laying 2-3 brown or olive-colored eggs with dark splotches in a scrape on the ground lined with vegetation. Both parents incubate the eggs and tend the semiprecocial downy chicks once they hatch after around 28 days. The young fledge in 6-7 weeks.
Many herring gulls migrate south for the winter, but some may remain in Manitoba as long as open water is present. They winter along both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
The herring gull’s large size, pale gray back, yellow eyes, and large yellow bill make it one of the most familiar and recognizable gulls in Manitoba. Its loud, laughing calls are a classic seashore sound.
3. Bonaparte’s Gull
Bonaparte’s gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) is a small, tern-like gull that breeds in Canada and winters along the coasts of North America. It is named after Charles Lucien Bonaparte, a French ornithologist and nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte.
These small, graceful gulls reach lengths of just 17 inches with a wingspan around 40 inches. Breeding adults have a black hood, white tail, and pale gray wings and back. The thin bill is black. In winter, the black hood is lost, leaving just a dark ear spot behind the eye.
Bonaparte’s gulls nest in large colonies in the boreal forest, laying 2-4 brown to olive eggs with dark spots in a ground scrape. Both parents incubate the eggs and tend the downy chicks once they hatch after 21-26 days.
These agile fliers feed on insects caught in flight, along with some fish, berries, and seeds. They often forage over water or newly plowed fields.
Bonaparte’s gulls migrate through Manitoba in spring and fall, stopping over on lakes and rivers to rest and feed during their long journeys. Some may spend the summer to breed while most continue north. They winter along the coasts and large inland lakes.
With their small size, tern-like flight, and black hoods, Bonaparte’s gulls add a touch of elegance to Manitoba’s waterways during migration. Their high-pitched calls sound like the birds are saying their name.
4. Mew Gull
The mew gull (Larus canus) is a small-medium sized gull that breeds across northern North America, including in Manitoba. It winters south along the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts.
Mew gulls reach about 16-18 inches long with a wingspan of around 38 inches. Breeding adults have pale gray upperparts, white underparts, yellow legs, and yellow bills with red spots. The eyes are yellow with red eye rings. In winter, the head becomes heavily streaked gray.
These gulls nest in colonies near water, scraping together a nest lined with grasses and feathers on the ground. The female lays 2-3 brownish eggs with dark blotches. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs for around 25 days, while the semiprecocial chicks hatch and mature over 4-6 weeks.
Mew gulls eat a variety of insects, earthworms, fish, and other small prey. They will readily feed at landfills and in fields. Their flight appears relaxed with slow, deep wingbeats.
Some mew gulls leave Manitoba in winter for the coasts, but many remain along stretches of open inland water. Small numbers may even winter on the unfrozen Great Lakes.
Look and listen for mew gulls near lakes and rivers in Manitoba. Their high-pitched call sounds like a cat’s cry. They are smaller and more delicate than herring gulls.
5. California Gull
The California gull (Larus californicus) is a medium-large gull that breeds in western and central North America and winters south to Mexico. It is a regular migrant through Manitoba.
These gulls reach around 25 inches long with a wingspan up to 55 inches. Adults are white with pale gray backs and wings, yellow and red legs, and green-yellow bills. They have black markings around the eyes. First-year birds are brown overall with darker wings.
California gulls nest in colonies of up to 25,000 pairs, laying 2-3 olive to brown eggs in a scrape lined with vegetation. The parents take turns incubating the eggs and guarding the precocial chicks once they hatch after around 27 days.
These gulls feed mostly on insects, small fish, and crustaceans. They often forage in agricultural fields or marshy areas. When living around humans, they will readily scavenge scraps and garbage.
California gulls pass through Manitoba during spring and fall migrations, stopping to rest on lakes and flooded fields. Their migrations take them between their inland breeding grounds and wintering areas along the Gulf Coast.
With a red ring around its yellow bill and pink legs, the California gull combines identification features from ring-billed and herring gulls. Its calls are loud, nasal notes.
6. Thayer’s Gull
Thayer’s gull (Larus thayeri) is a medium-small gull that breeds in arctic regions and migrates through more southern areas like Manitoba during seasonal movements.
Adults measure 16-18 inches in length with wingspans around 41 inches. They have pale gray upperparts, white underparts, pink legs, and yellow bills with orange spots. Their eyes are brown. In winter, streaks develop on the head.
Thayer’s gulls nest in small colonies on islands in remote tundra lakes. The female lays 2-4 olive to brown eggs with dark splotches in a shallow ground scrape lined with vegetation. Both parents incubate the eggs in shifts for around 25 days, with the precocial chicks hatching covered in down.
These gulls feed on small fish, marine invertebrates, and some plant material during the breeding season. They scavenge in fields, harbors, and landfills during migration and winter.
Most Thayer’s gulls migrate south down the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts in winter, though some remain in ice-free regions of the Great Lakes. During migration, they stop to rest and feed on inland lakes, rivers and agricultural fields across the continent.
With a dark eye, pink legs, and variable bill markings, the Thayer’s gull can be confused with other small white-headed gulls. But its breeding origins north of the tree line help distinguish it.
7. Iceland Gull
The Iceland gull (Larus glaucoides) breeds in Arctic regions and migrates south through central North America, including Manitoba. It winters along both North American coasts.
These large gulls reach around 25 inches long with wingspans approaching 60 inches. Adults have white plumage with very pale gray backs and wings. The legs vary from pink to yellow. The thick bill is yellow with a reddish spot. First-year birds have brown streaking.
Iceland gulls nest in small colonies on cliffs along Arctic coasts and islands. The female lays 2-3 olive to brown eggs with dark spots in a grass-lined depression on a cliff ledge. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs for around 28 days before the fuzzy chicks hatch.
Fish and marine invertebrates make up much of these birds’ diets in northern breeding areas. On migration and during winter, they scavenge in fields, harbors, and dumps.
Most Iceland gulls pass through Manitoba during spring and fall migrations, stopping to rest and feed on inland lakes. Their winter range depends on age, with younger birds traveling farther south. When visiting Manitoba, watch for them alone or associating with herring gulls.
The pale gray back, yellow bill, and varies leg color help distinguish Iceland gulls. Their graceful flight for such large gulls is also notable.
8. Glaucous Gull
The glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus) is an Arctic-breeding gull that migrates south through Manitoba and winters along both coasts down into the northern U.S.
This large gull reaches lengths up to 28 inches with wingspans surpassing 60 inches. Its plumage is entirely white when mature, with pale gray as juveniles. The stout bill is pink with yellow tip, and the legs are pink. First-year birds can have brown streaking and barred tails.
Nesting on Arctic cliffs and tundra, glaucous gulls lay 1-3 olive to brown eggs with dark splotches in a grass-lined ground nest. Both parents incubate the eggs in shifts for around 28 days before the semiprecocial young hatch. Chicks fledge in 7-9 weeks.
Fish, eggs and chicks of other birds, and carrion make up much of the diet for these voracious predators. They readily scavenge seals, whales, fishery waste, and landfill scraps when available.
In Manitoba, glaucous gulls pass through during spring and fall migrations, occasionally wintering if open water persists. With their hulking size, pale plumage, and predacious habits, they stand out from other gulls, often bullying them away from food sources.
The glaucous gull’s entirely pale plumage, massive size, and fierce predator personality makes it one of the most striking and formidable gulls to visit Manitoba. Any sighting is likely to be memorable.