WhenToBird

Larus delawarensis · Laridae

When Do Ring-billed Gulls Arrive in Wyoming?

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

Ring-billed Gulls reach Wyoming in early March, are common by the second week of March, peak in the second week of April (13% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byDec 1-7early December

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals early March; most are gone by early December. Peak: on about 13% of Wyoming checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0.6% of 2543 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.5% of 2114 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 1984 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 2605 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 1940 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 1954 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.2% of 2575 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.6% of 1932 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.9% of 2486 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.1% of 2535 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.7% of 2726 checklistsMar 22-31: 12% of 4349 checklistsApr 1-7: 12% of 3300 checklistsApr 8-14: 14% of 3500 checklistsApr 15-21: 13% of 3701 checklistsApr 22-30: 11% of 5887 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.8% of 5341 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.8% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.4% of 6884 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.7% of 10652 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.5% of 6807 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.6% of 6714 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.9% of 6708 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.6% of 8160 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.0% of 5755 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.1% of 5379 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.4% of 5299 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.4% of 6830 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.3% of 4581 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.6% of 4625 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.8% of 4466 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.7% of 6562 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.3% of 4543 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.7% of 4652 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.4% of 4186 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.7% of 5301 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.3% of 3248 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 3010 checklistsOct 15-21: 11% of 2624 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 3170 checklistsNov 1-7: 13% of 2110 checklistsNov 8-14: 13% of 2153 checklistsNov 15-21: 11% of 1971 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.1% of 2136 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.4% of 1646 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.4% of 1609 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.4% of 1954 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% of 2392 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Platte CountyBest early November · 12 checklists that week, 1,645 in all56%
  2. Campbell CountyBest the second week of April · 65 checklists that week, 2,801 in all37%
  3. Carbon CountyBest the second week of November · 42 checklists that week, 6,429 in all35%
  4. Uinta CountyBest early May · 58 checklists that week, 1,881 in all35%
  5. Natrona CountyBest the second week of April · 172 checklists that week, 5,810 in all35%
  6. Johnson CountyBest mid October · 117 checklists that week, 5,977 in all34%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake Hattie ReservoirAlbany County, best mid September · 22 checklists that week, 476 in all95%
  2. Mcmanamen ParkCampbell County, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 626 in all86%
  3. Lake de SmetJohnson County, best mid October · 23 checklists that week, 435 in all84%
  4. Saratoga LakeCarbon County, best the second week of September · 27 checklists that week, 626 in all80%
  5. State Lands 1111116182Natrona County, best late August · 23 checklists that week, 483 in all78%

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

Best time of day

In Wyoming, the Ring-billed Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (7.1% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (59) to judge1 am: too few checklists (76) to judge2 am: too few checklists (86) to judge3 am: too few checklists (79) to judge4 am: too few checklists (326) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2271) to judge6 am: 5.2% of 8808 checklists7 am: 4.9% of 18458 checklists8 am: 5.2% of 22143 checklists9 am: 5.9% of 21499 checklists10 am: 6.5% of 19425 checklists11 am: 6.9% of 16017 checklists12 pm: 7.1% of 13868 checklists1 pm: 7.1% of 12984 checklists2 pm: 7.1% of 12605 checklists3 pm: 6.4% of 11821 checklists4 pm: 6.1% of 10571 checklists5 pm: 6.7% of 8746 checklists6 pm: 5.5% of 6707 checklists7 pm: 4.0% of 4890 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2323) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (554) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (134) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (59) 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
January0.6%0.5%0.1%0%
February0.1%0.1%0.2%0.6%
March1.9%5.1%7.7%12%
April12%14%13%11%
May7.8%5.8%5.4%4.7%
June3.5%3.6%3.9%3.6%
July4.0%5.1%5.4%5.4%
August5.3%5.6%6.8%5.7%
September6.3%7.7%7.4%6.7%
October8.3%11%11%11%
November13%13%11%6.1%
December4.4%3.4%1.4%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • Colorado: arrives mid July, 18 weeks later than Wyoming
  • Utah: arrives late August, 23 weeks later than Wyoming
  • Montana: arrives late February, 1 week earlier than Wyoming
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks early November

Common questions

When do Ring-billed Gulls arrive in Wyoming?
Ring-billed Gulls reach Wyoming in early March, are common by the second week of March, peak in the second week of April (13% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.
When do Ring-billed Gulls leave Wyoming?
Most Ring-billed Gulls have left Wyoming by early December, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late December.
When is the best time to see a Ring-billed Gull in Wyoming?
The Ring-billed Gull is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 13% of Wyoming checklists.
Where in Wyoming are Ring-billed Gulls seen most often?
By county, Platte County, Campbell County, and Carbon County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ring-billed Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).