Gulls & Terns in Quebec
Our list for Quebec has 17 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 2 residents, 10 summer visitors, 2 winter visitors and 3 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Quebec in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 17, most common first
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisSummer visitorCommon43–54 cmRegularly Mar–Dec
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusResidentCommon53–65 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorCommon52–60 cmRegularly Nov–May
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaSummer visitorCommon28–38 cmRegularly May–Nov
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorUncommon62–68 cmRegularly Nov–May
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorUncommon31–35 cmRegularly May–Oct
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaSummer visitorUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Mar–Jan
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusSummer visitorUncommon52–64 cmRegularly Mar–Jan
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorUncommon22–26 cmRegularly May–Aug
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusSummer visitorRare25–30 cmRegularly May–Nov
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusSummer visitorRare38–44 cmRegularly Apr–Jan
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorRare33–39 cmRegularly May–Oct
Forster's TernSterna forsteriPassage migrantRare33–36 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanSummer visitorRare32–36 cmRegularly May–Oct
Common GullLarus canusPassage migrantRare40–46 cmRegularly Nov–Dec
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
- 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