Gulls & Terns in Morocco
Our list for Morocco has 16 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 5 residents, 2 summer visitors, 2 winter visitors, 6 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Morocco in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 16, most common first
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisResidentCommon52–68 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusResidentCommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
Audouin's GullIchthyaetus audouiniiResidentCommon48–52 cmRecorded all year
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusWinter visitorCommon37–40 cmRegularly Jul–May
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisResidentCommon36–41 cmRecorded all year
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorCommon21–25 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaSummer visitorUncommon33–42 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Common TernSterna hirundoPassage migrantUncommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Dec
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantUncommon22–26 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Common GullLarus canusWinter visitorUncommon40–46 cmRegularly Dec–Mar
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaPassage migrantRare33–39 cmRegularly Sep
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusPassage migrantRare25–30 cmRegularly Jan–May
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusPassage migrantRare20–27 cmRegularly Sep
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusScarceRare64–79 cm
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaPassage migrantRare37–41 cmRegularly Dec
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
- Arctic Tern 33–39 cm
- Gull-billed Tern 33–42 cm
- Mediterranean Gull 37–40 cm
- Sandwich Tern 36–41 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
- 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