The Short-billed Gull breeds in Alaska and Canada and winters on the west coast. It was formerly called the Mew Gull when it was considered the same species as the Common Gull of Eurasia. The two were split in 2021. There are 52 well-documented sightings for Texas, with the majority of these sightings coming from the west and a few on the Texas Coast. The latest sighting was in February of 2026.
The Short-billed is considerably smaller than the Ring-billed and has a yellow bill which is usually unmarked in adults. Sub-adult birds may have a ring not unlike the Ring-billed, but the bill is much tinier. It usually has a dark eye. In breeding plumage the white head is unmarked, but in non-breeding it develops extensive smudgy brown on the back of the head and neck. The upper-parts are a medium-gray – darker than those of Ring-billed. The tips of the tertials are white, forming what are referred to as “white tertial-crescents”. In flight the primaries are black-tipped with large white spots in the outermost primaries.
