Gulls & Terns in Cork
Our list for Cork has 16 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 5 residents, 2 summer visitors, 3 winter visitors, 4 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Cork in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 16, 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 canusWinter visitorCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorCommon36–41 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusWinter visitorCommon37–40 cmRegularly Jun–Mar
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaResidentCommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaPassage migrantUncommon33–39 cmRegularly Jul–Aug
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisWinter visitorUncommon52–68 cmRegularly Jun–Mar
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesPassage migrantUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Jan–Apr
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisPassage migrantUncommon43–54 cmRegularly Jan–Mar
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusPassage migrantUncommon62–68 cmRegularly Jan
Sabine's GullXema sabiniScarceRare27–33 cm
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusScarceRare25–30 cm
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Little Gull 25–30 cm
- Sabine's Gull 27–33 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
- 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