Gulls & Terns in Ireland
Our list for Ireland has 23 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 8 residents, 6 summer visitors, 3 winter visitors, 4 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Ireland in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 23, 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
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusResidentCommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
Common GullLarus canusResidentCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorCommon36–41 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaSummer visitorCommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusResidentCommon37–40 cmRecorded all year
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorUncommon33–39 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorUncommon21–25 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiSummer visitorUncommon33–41 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantUncommon27–33 cmRegularly Jul–Oct
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusResidentUncommon25–30 cmRecorded all year
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisWinter visitorUncommon43–54 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorUncommon62–68 cmRegularly Nov–May
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantRare22–26 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisResidentRare52–68 cmRecorded all year
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaPassage migrantRare28–38 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Forster's TernSterna forsteriPassage migrantRare33–36 cmRegularly Feb–Aug
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaScarceRare33–42 cm
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusScarceRare20–27 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
- Sabine's Gull 27–33 cm
- Common Tern 31–35 cm
- Bonaparte's Gull 28–38 cm
- Forster's Tern 33–36 cm
- Arctic Tern 33–39 cm
- Roseate Tern 33–41 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
- Ring-billed Gull 43–54 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