Critters of the Week

Where Spotted: Shield Lake
Common Name: Ring-billed Gull
Scientific Name: Larus delawarensis
Length: 16.9-21.3 in (43-54 cm)
Weight: 10.6-24.7 oz (300-700 g)
Wingspan: 41.3-46.1 in (105-117 cm)

Quick Facts Courtesy of Cornell Labs

• Ring-billed Gulls near Tampa Bay, Florida, became accustomed to feasting on garbage at an open landfill site. Then, in 1983, operators replaced the dumping grounds with closed incinerators. The thwarted scavengers found themselves another open dump, but the pattern continues all across the gull’s range. When waste-management practices shift from open landfills to closed incinerators, gull numbers often drop.
• Some Ring-billed Gull nests at study sites in California and Oregon contained pebbles the size and shape of gull eggs. The parents apparently pulled the pebbles into their nests from the surrounding ground, mistaking them for eggs gone astray.
• Ring-billed Gull nesting colonies normally include a small percentage of two-female couples. Fertilized by an obliging male, each female spouse lays a clutch of eggs, leading to 5–7-egg “superclutches.”
• Many, if not most, Ring-billed Gulls return to breed at the colony where they hatched. Once they have bred, they are likely to return to the same breeding spot each year, often nesting within a few meters of the last year’s nest site. Many individuals return to the same wintering sites each winter too.
• Although it is considered a typical large white-headed gull, the Ring-billed Gull has been known to hybridize only with smaller, black-headed species, such as Franklin’s, Black-headed, and Laughing gulls.
• Migrating Ring-billed Gulls apparently use a built-in compass to navigate. When tested at only two days of age, chicks showed a preference for magnetic bearings that would take them in the appropriate direction for their fall migration. The gulls also rely on landmarks and high-altitude winds to provide directional cues.
• The oldest recorded Ring-billed Gull was at least 27 years, 6 months old when it was found in New York.

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Pebble at Richmond SPCA

Why hello there. My name is Pebble and i’m a sweet quiet gal who enjoys a nice window to lounge in or a comfy bed to waste away the afternoon in. I’m not all naps and sunshine though I still have some spunk in me and enjoy a nice laser pointer session or a wand toy. If I sound like the gal for you then give the Richmond SPCA a call to learn more about me.

Age: 8 years, 1 month
Gender: Spayed Female
Color: Brown
Declawed: No
ID: 46466038

Adopt Pebble at the Richmond SPCA

In response to COVID-19 and in order to reduce visitor traffic, observe necessary social distancing and to best protect the health and wellbeing of thier staff and members of the public, Richmond SPCA has transitioned to adoptions by appointment only. Please review their adoption appointment process.