Gulls & Terns in Norway
Our list for Norway has 19 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 4 residents, 7 summer visitors, 1 winter visitor, 4 passage migrants and 3 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Norway in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 19, most common first
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRecorded all year
Common GullLarus canusSummer visitorCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusSummer visitorCommon52–64 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusSummer visitorCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaResidentCommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorCommon33–39 cmRegularly May–Sep
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusResidentUncommon62–68 cmRecorded all year
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Oct–Jul
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusSummer visitorUncommon25–30 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorRare36–41 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaScarceRare28–38 cm
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusPassage migrantRare37–40 cmRegularly Apr–Jun
Sabine's GullXema sabiniScarceRare27–33 cm
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantRare22–26 cmRegularly Aug
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaPassage migrantRare33–42 cmRegularly Jun
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisScarceRare52–68 cm
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusPassage migrantRare20–27 cmRegularly May
Smallest to largest
Length, 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
- Bonaparte's Gull 28–38 cm
- Arctic Tern 33–39 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