Gulls & Terns in Italy
Our list for Italy has 15 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 6 residents, 4 summer visitors, 4 winter visitors and 1 passage migrant
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Italy in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 15, most common first
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisResidentCommon52–68 cmRecorded all year
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorUncommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisResidentUncommon36–41 cmRecorded all year
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusResidentUncommon37–40 cmRecorded all year
Common GullLarus canusWinter visitorUncommon40–46 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorUncommon21–25 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorUncommon22–26 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaSummer visitorUncommon33–42 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Audouin's GullIchthyaetus audouiniiResidentUncommon48–52 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorUncommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusPassage migrantUncommon20–27 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusResidentRare25–30 cmRecorded all year
European Herring GullLarus argentatusWinter visitorRare55–67 cmRegularly Nov–Feb
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaWinter visitorRare37–41 cmRegularly Nov–Feb
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
- 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
- Audouin's Gull 48–52 cm
- Lesser Black-backed Gull 52–64 cm
- Yellow-legged Gull 52–68 cm
- European Herring Gull 55–67 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