Larus delawarensis
Order Charadriiformes
Family Laridae
Subfamily Larinae
Adult in summer.— Head, neck, tail, and under parts white; back and wings pearl-gray; ends of quill-feathers black, the first two, for over six inches, spotted with white near the tip, or tipped with white; bill yellow, crossed near tip by a black band which does not show except at very close range; feet pale yellow.
Adult in winter.— Similar, but top of head and hind neck streaked with brownish.
Immature.— Brownish-dusky above; tail blackish toward the tip; bill blackish.
The Ring-billed Gull is a common winter visitant off the coast of Long Island, and a rare migrant along the coast of New England. It is very difficult to distinguish this species from the Herring Gull. If it is seen with Herring Gulls, its smaller size and greater tameness should distinguish it.
Hoffmann – A Guide to the Birds of New England and Eastern New York (1904)