Gulls & Terns in Canada
Our list for Canada has 18 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 4 residents, 9 summer visitors and 5 winter visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Canada in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 18, most common first
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisResidentCommon43–54 cmRecorded all year
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusResidentCommon53–65 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Oct–May
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaSummer visitorUncommon28–38 cmRegularly Mar–Jan
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorUncommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanSummer visitorUncommon32–36 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorUncommon62–68 cmRegularly Nov–Aug
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorUncommon22–26 cmRegularly May–Sep
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaSummer visitorUncommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorUncommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
Forster's TernSterna forsteriSummer visitorUncommon33–36 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorRare33–39 cmRegularly May–Sep
Sabine's GullXema sabiniSummer visitorRare27–33 cmRegularly May–Oct
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusWinter visitorRare38–44 cmRecorded all year
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusResidentRare25–30 cmRecorded all year
Common GullLarus canusWinter visitorRare40–46 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiSummer visitorRare33–41 cmRegularly May–Aug
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Black Tern 22–26 cm
- Little Gull 25–30 cm
- Sabine's Gull 27–33 cm
- Bonaparte's Gull 28–38 cm
- Common Tern 31–35 cm
- Franklin's Gull 32–36 cm
- Forster's Tern 33–36 cm
- Arctic Tern 33–39 cm
- Roseate Tern 33–41 cm
- Kittiwake 37–41 cm
- Black-headed Gull 38–44 cm
- Common Gull 40–46 cm
- Ring-billed Gull 43–54 cm
- Iceland Gull 52–60 cm
- Lesser Black-backed Gull 52–64 cm
- American Herring Gull 53–65 cm
- Glaucous Gull 62–68 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