Gulls & Terns in Belgium
Our list for Belgium has 19 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 4 residents, 7 summer visitors, 2 winter visitors, 4 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Belgium in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 19, most common first
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusSummer visitorCommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
Common GullLarus canusWinter visitorCommon40–46 cmRegularly Jul–May
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusSummer visitorUncommon37–40 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentUncommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorUncommon36–41 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaWinter visitorUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Aug–Feb
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisResidentUncommon52–68 cmRecorded all year
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusSummer visitorUncommon25–30 cmRegularly Mar–Jan
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorUncommon21–25 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorUncommon22–26 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisPassage migrantUncommon43–54 cmRegularly Jan–Feb
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaPassage migrantRare33–42 cmRegularly Apr–May
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusPassage migrantRare20–27 cmRegularly May–Aug
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaPassage migrantRare33–39 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Sabine's GullXema sabiniScarceRare27–33 cm
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiScarceRare33–41 cm
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Little Tern 21–25 cm
- White-winged Tern 20–27 cm
- Black Tern 22–26 cm
- Little Gull 25–30 cm
- Sabine's Gull 27–33 cm
- Common Tern 31–35 cm
- Arctic Tern 33–39 cm
- Roseate Tern 33–41 cm
- Gull-billed Tern 33–42 cm
- Mediterranean Gull 37–40 cm
- Sandwich Tern 36–41 cm
- Kittiwake 37–41 cm
- Black-headed Gull 38–44 cm
- Common Gull 40–46 cm
- Ring-billed Gull 43–54 cm
- Lesser Black-backed Gull 52–64 cm
- Yellow-legged Gull 52–68 cm
- European Herring Gull 55–67 cm
- Great Black-backed Gull 64–79 cm
Body length, bill to tail. Rare birds in grey.
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made