Gulls & Terns in Mexico
Our list for Mexico has 15 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 4 residents, 2 summer visitors, 6 winter visitors and 3 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Mexico in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 15, most common first
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisWinter visitorUncommon43–54 cmRecorded all year
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisResidentUncommon36–41 cmRecorded all year
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorUncommon22–26 cmRegularly Apr–Dec
Forster's TernSterna forsteriResidentUncommon33–36 cmRecorded all year
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusWinter visitorUncommon53–65 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaResidentUncommon33–42 cmRecorded all year
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanWinter visitorUncommon32–36 cmRegularly Sep–Jun
Common TernSterna hirundoResidentRare31–35 cmRecorded all year
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaWinter visitorRare28–38 cmRegularly Oct–Jun
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorRare52–64 cmRegularly Aug–May
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Aug–May
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiSummer visitorRare33–41 cmRegularly May–Aug
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorRare52–60 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaPassage migrantRare33–39 cmRegularly Sep
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaPassage migrantRare37–41 cmRegularly Feb
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Black Tern 22–26 cm
- Sabine's Gull 27–33 cm
- Common Tern 31–35 cm
- Bonaparte's Gull 28–38 cm
- Franklin's Gull 32–36 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
- Kittiwake 37–41 cm
- Ring-billed Gull 43–54 cm
- Iceland Gull 52–60 cm
- Lesser Black-backed Gull 52–64 cm
- American Herring Gull 53–65 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