Gulls & Terns in Galway
Our list for Galway has 18 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 6 residents, 6 summer visitors, 2 winter visitors and 4 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Galway in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 18, most common first
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRecorded all year
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Common GullLarus canusResidentCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusSummer visitorCommon52–64 cmRegularly Feb–Oct
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorCommon36–41 cmRecorded all year
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaSummer visitorCommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorUncommon33–39 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusResidentUncommon25–30 cmRegularly Jan–Oct
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorUncommon21–25 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusResidentUncommon37–40 cmRegularly Dec–Oct
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisWinter visitorUncommon43–54 cmRegularly Oct–Feb
Forster's TernSterna forsteriPassage migrantUncommon33–36 cmRegularly Feb–Jun
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusPassage migrantUncommon62–68 cmRegularly Feb–Mar
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantUncommon22–26 cmRegularly Sep
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantUncommon27–33 cmRegularly Aug
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Little Tern 21–25 cm
- Black Tern 22–26 cm
- Little Gull 25–30 cm
- Sabine's Gull 27–33 cm
- Common Tern 31–35 cm
- Forster's Tern 33–36 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
- Ring-billed Gull 43–54 cm
- Iceland Gull 52–60 cm
- Lesser Black-backed Gull 52–64 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