Gulls & Terns in Belize
Our list for Belize has 11 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 2 residents, 1 summer visitor, 3 winter visitors and 5 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Belize in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 11, most common first
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisResidentUncommon36–41 cmRecorded all year
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorUncommon22–26 cmRegularly May–Nov
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaResidentUncommon33–42 cmRecorded all year
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusWinter visitorRare53–65 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanPassage migrantRare32–36 cmRegularly Nov–May
Common TernSterna hirundoPassage migrantRare31–35 cmRegularly Mar–Jan
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisWinter visitorRare43–54 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Forster's TernSterna forsteriWinter visitorRare33–36 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusPassage migrantRare52–64 cmRegularly Nov–Dec
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaPassage migrantRare28–38 cmRegularly Dec
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiPassage migrantRare33–41 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Black Tern 22–26 cm
- Common Tern 31–35 cm
- Bonaparte's Gull 28–38 cm
- Franklin's Gull 32–36 cm
- Forster's Tern 33–36 cm
- Roseate Tern 33–41 cm
- Gull-billed Tern 33–42 cm
- Sandwich Tern 36–41 cm
- Ring-billed Gull 43–54 cm
- Lesser Black-backed Gull 52–64 cm
- American Herring Gull 53–65 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