Gulls & Terns in Denmark
Our list for Denmark has 17 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 5 residents, 8 summer visitors, 2 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Denmark in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 17, most common first
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRecorded all year
Common GullLarus canusResidentCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorCommon36–41 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusSummer visitorCommon52–64 cmRegularly Mar–Nov
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorUncommon33–39 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorUncommon21–25 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaResidentUncommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusSummer visitorUncommon25–30 cmRecorded all year
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorUncommon22–26 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusSummer visitorRare37–40 cmRegularly Jan–Oct
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusPassage migrantRare62–68 cmRegularly Feb–May
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesPassage migrantRare52–60 cmRegularly Jan–Apr
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusScarceRare20–27 cmRegularly May
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisScarceRare52–68 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
- Common Tern 31–35 cm
- Arctic Tern 33–39 cm
- Sandwich Tern 36–41 cm
- Mediterranean Gull 37–40 cm
- Kittiwake 37–41 cm
- Black-headed Gull 38–44 cm
- Common Gull 40–46 cm
- Iceland Gull 52–60 cm
- Lesser Black-backed Gull 52–64 cm
- Yellow-legged Gull 52–68 cm
- European Herring Gull 55–67 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