Rare transatlantic visitor. 29 records (30 birds) up to 2017.

There are 29 published records  of Ring-billed Gull (involving 30 birds) in the region up to 2017. Of the 29 reports, 16 were from Worcestershire (two of which visited two different localities), eight from Staffordshire, three from Warwickshire and two from the West Midlands County. Thus, Worcestershire has been by far the most productive county, including a series of early spring records between 1997 and 2006, perhaps involving birds which had taken up residence on this side of the Atlantic. There were five in Worcestershire during 2002, with four during late March and April. Of the 30 birds involved in the 29 records in the region as a whole, 18 involved adults, six second-years and six first years. The monthly distribution was as follows:

Thus, although a statistically small sample, the distribution suggests that records involve a combination of purposeful spring passage and more random winter arrivals.

Published records up to 2017

Staffordshire

Westport Lake, second-winter, November 16th 1981.

Westport Lake, first-summer, March 14th - 16th 1987.

Chasewater, adult, February 14th 1999.

Blithfield Reservoir, first-winter, February 15th 2003.

Belvide Reservoir, first-winter, December 25th 2003

Tittesworth, adult, November 20th 2006.

Blithfield Reservoir, second-winter, January 22nd 2008.

Blithfield of first-winter, December 20th 2010

Warwickshire

Coton, adult, December 20th 1987.

Draycote Water, second-summer, April 13th - 21st 1991.

Draycote Water, second-summer, March 30th 1998.

Worcestershire

Throckmorton, adult, March 2nd - 5th 1986.

Throckmorton, first-winter, February 16th & 17th 1989.

Bredon's Hardwick, second-winter, November 21st 1989.

Bredons Hardwick, adult, April 5th - 12th 1997.

Bredon's Hardwick, adult, March 31st - April 7th 2002, with two from April 1st - 4th.

Ryall, adult, April 3rd - 21st 2002, with probably same adult at
Bredon's Hardwick, April 11th, 12th, 13th &23rd 2002.

Bredon's Hardwick, second-summer, April 7th & 13th 2002.

Throckmorton Tip, adult, November 23rd 2002.

Bredon's Hardwick, adult, April 6th - 11th 2003.

Lower Moor, adult, February 6th 2005, with assumed same
in the roost at Westwood Park on February 8th & early 9th 2005.

Westwood Pool, adult, March 3rd & 7th 2005.

Bredon's Hardwick & Lower Moor, adult, April 7th & 8th 2006.

Bredon's Hardwick, Lower Moor & Throckmorton, first-winter, November 1st 2008.

Westwood Pool, adult, December 22nd 2008.

Throckmorton, adult, December 27th - 28th 2009 and January 2nd - 3rd 2010.

Upton Warren, adult, April 7th 2017.

West Midlands County

Queslett Tip, adult, March 8th & 15th 1989.

Fens Pools, adult, January 3rd 1996.

An adult gull deemed to be a hybrid between Lesser Black-backed Gull and Ring-billed Gull roosted at Belvide Reservoir, Staffs, on February 15th 2012, having previously roosted at Priorslee Lake, Shropshire, on February 3rd & 4th. It was subsequently recorded on a number of occasions in various winters up to 2017.