WhenToBird

Larus delawarensis · Laridae

When Do Ring-billed Gulls Arrive in Nebraska?

Adult Ring-billed Gull
Photo: Isaac Krone, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Ring-billed Gulls are winter birds in Nebraska: the first arrive in early July, they are common by the second week of September, peak in the second week of November (24% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 1-7early July
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakNov 8-14the second week of November
Most gone byApr 22-30late April

Best: the second week of November. First arrivals early July; most are gone by late April. Peak: on about 24% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 6.3% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.4% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.2% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.1% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.5% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 9.9% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 19% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 21% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 22% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 20% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 17% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 13% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.5% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.5% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.0% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.3% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.0% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.5% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.3% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.3% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.4% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.2% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.9% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.1% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.3% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.2% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.0% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.9% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.4% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.7% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.6% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 12% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 17% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 17% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 20% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 23% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 26% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 23% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 19% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 17% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 13% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.9% of 3746 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Nebraska that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cedar CountyBest late November · 38 checklists that week, 1,691 in all84%
  2. Gosper CountyBest the second week of December · 11 checklists that week, 483 in all78%
  3. Keith CountyBest the second week of November · 64 checklists that week, 3,876 in all74%
  4. Garfield CountyBest early November · 11 checklists that week, 366 in all73%
  5. Harlan CountyBest mid November · 20 checklists that week, 1,276 in all64%
  6. Platte CountyBest the second week of November · 33 checklists that week, 1,287 in all64%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake MinatareScotts Bluff County, best the second week of September · 21 checklists that week, 383 in all100%
  2. Lewis and Clark Recreation AreaCedar County, best late October · 21 checklists that week, 397 in all100%
  3. Newport Landing Lake (east)Douglas County, best early April · 24 checklists that week, 206 in all98%
  4. Levi Carter ParkDouglas County, best mid March · 22 checklists that week, 371 in all95%
  5. Oak LakeLancaster County, best the second week of March · 26 checklists that week, 682 in all95%
  6. Salt Lake (west)Lancaster County, best early December · 35 checklists that week, 805 in all94%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Ring-billed Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 6.8% of 6945 checklists7 am: 8.7% of 19066 checklists8 am: 8.9% of 24661 checklists9 am: 9.9% of 23438 checklists10 am: 9.9% of 20424 checklists11 am: 10% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 10% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 11% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 11% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 11% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 9.9% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 8.0% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 7.0% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 3.9% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January6.3%2.4%2.2%1.3%
February1.5%3.1%6.5%9.9%
March19%21%22%20%
April17%13%12%8.5%
May5.5%3.0%2.3%2.0%
June1.5%1.3%1.3%1.4%
July1.2%1.9%2.1%3.3%
August4.2%5.0%5.9%5.4%
September6.7%7.6%12%13%
October12%17%17%20%
November23%26%23%19%
December17%13%11%9.9%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives the second week of July, 1 week later than Nebraska
  • South Dakota: arrives late February, 17 weeks earlier than Nebraska
  • Iowa: arrives early July, in the same week than Nebraska
  • Missouri: arrives the second week of July, 1 week later than Nebraska

Common questions

When do Ring-billed Gulls arrive in Nebraska?
Ring-billed Gulls are winter birds in Nebraska: the first arrive in early July, they are common by the second week of September, peak in the second week of November (24% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.
When do Ring-billed Gulls leave Nebraska?
Most Ring-billed Gulls have left Nebraska by late April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid June.
When is the best time to see a Ring-billed Gull in Nebraska?
The Ring-billed Gull is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 24% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Ring-billed Gulls seen most often?
By county, Cedar County, Gosper County, and Keith County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ring-billed Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).