Gulls & Terns in Nova Scotia
Our list for Nova Scotia has 18 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 4 residents, 3 summer visitors, 7 winter visitors, 2 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Nova Scotia in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 18, most common first
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusResidentCommon53–65 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisWinter visitorCommon43–54 cmRecorded all year
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorCommon52–60 cmRegularly Nov–May
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly May–Oct
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaWinter visitorCommon28–38 cmRegularly Jul–Mar
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorUncommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusWinter visitorUncommon38–44 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaResidentUncommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorUncommon62–68 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorUncommon33–39 cmRegularly May–Sep
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiSummer visitorUncommon33–41 cmRegularly May–Aug
Forster's TernSterna forsteriScarceUncommon33–36 cm
Common GullLarus canusWinter visitorUncommon40–46 cmRegularly Dec–Mar
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantRare22–26 cmRegularly Jun–Sep
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusResidentRare25–30 cmRegularly Nov–Jan
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Sep
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanScarceRare32–36 cm
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Black Tern 22–26 cm
- Little Gull 25–30 cm
- Sabine's Gull 27–33 cm
- Common Tern 31–35 cm
- Bonaparte's Gull 28–38 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