Gulls & Terns in Portugal
Our list for Portugal has 25 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 5 residents, 6 summer visitors, 10 winter visitors, 3 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Portugal in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 25, most common first
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisResidentCommon52–68 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorCommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisResidentUncommon36–41 cmRecorded all year
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusResidentUncommon37–40 cmRecorded all year
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorUncommon21–25 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorUncommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Audouin's GullIchthyaetus audouiniiResidentUncommon48–52 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusWinter visitorUncommon64–79 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Common GullLarus canusWinter visitorUncommon40–46 cmRegularly Aug–May
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorUncommon22–26 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaWinter visitorUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaSummer visitorUncommon33–42 cmRegularly Dec–Sep
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusWinter visitorUncommon25–30 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiSummer visitorRare33–41 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisWinter visitorRare43–54 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
European Herring GullLarus argentatusWinter visitorRare55–67 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Sabine's GullXema sabiniSummer visitorRare27–33 cmRegularly May–Dec
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaPassage migrantRare33–39 cmRegularly May–Nov
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaPassage migrantRare28–38 cmRegularly Jan–Apr
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusPassage migrantRare20–27 cmRegularly May–Jan
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusWinter visitorRare53–65 cmRegularly Dec–Mar
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorRare52–60 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
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
- Bonaparte's Gull 28–38 cm
- Franklin's Gull 32–36 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
- Ring-billed Gull 43–54 cm
- Audouin's Gull 48–52 cm
- Iceland Gull 52–60 cm
- Lesser Black-backed Gull 52–64 cm
- American Herring Gull 53–65 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