Gulls & Terns in Netherlands
Our list for Netherlands has 20 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 6 residents, 8 summer visitors, 2 winter visitors and 4 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Netherlands in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 20, most common first
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusSummer visitorCommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Common GullLarus canusResidentCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorUncommon36–41 cmRegularly Mar–Jan
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusSummer visitorUncommon37–40 cmRegularly Feb–Oct
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorUncommon22–26 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusResidentUncommon25–30 cmRecorded all year
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisResidentUncommon52–68 cmRecorded all year
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorUncommon21–25 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaWinter visitorUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Jun–Apr
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorUncommon33–39 cmRegularly Apr–Dec
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorRare62–68 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaPassage migrantRare33–42 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusSummer visitorRare20–27 cmRegularly May–Sep
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesPassage migrantRare52–60 cmRegularly Jan–May
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Sep
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiPassage migrantRare33–41 cmRegularly Jun
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
- 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
- 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