Gulls & Terns in Germany
Our list for Germany has 18 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 4 residents, 10 summer visitors, 2 winter visitors and 2 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Germany in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 18, most common first
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusWinter visitorCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Common GullLarus canusResidentUncommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisResidentUncommon52–68 cmRecorded all year
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorUncommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusSummer visitorUncommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorUncommon22–26 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorUncommon36–41 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusSummer visitorUncommon25–30 cmRegularly Apr–Feb
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusSummer visitorUncommon37–40 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaSummer visitorUncommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorUncommon21–25 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorRare33–39 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusPassage migrantRare20–27 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaSummer visitorRare33–42 cmRegularly May–Aug
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorRare62–68 cmRegularly Dec–Apr
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
- Sabine's Gull 27–33 cm
- Common Tern 31–35 cm
- Arctic Tern 33–39 cm
- Gull-billed Tern 33–42 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
- 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