Herring and Ring-billed Gulls by John Dykstra
Recently, I was more than a little shaken to that seagulls can live for DECADES! All About Birds shares that the oldest recorded American Herring Gull was at least 29 years, 3 months old when it was seen in the wild in Michigan in 2015 and identified by its band, and they have reportedly lived as many as FIFTY YEARS in captivity. Also, while they prefer drinking freshwater, they can drink seawater thanks to special glands located over the eyes allow them to excrete the salt when they must.
The Ring-billed gull is somewhat smaller & distinguished from the Herring gull by yellow legs (instead of pinkish) and of course the black ring around the bill. Many and possibly most Ring-billed Gulls return to breed at the colony where they hatched year after year, often nesting within a few meters of last year’s nest site. The oldest recorded Ring-billed Gull was at least 27 1/2 years old, so probably be nicer to them on the beach because they will be back there for years! ;)
John took these photos mostly near Manistee. See more in his Michigan gallery on Flickr!
PS: Even though the first photo was taken way back in 2010, there’s a fair chance that one or both of these birds is still flying today!! 😳
Michigan in Pictures 