Gulls & Terns in Spain
Our list for Spain has 25 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 5 residents, 6 summer visitors, 11 winter visitors and 3 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Spain 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
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorCommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisResidentUncommon36–41 cmRecorded all year
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusResidentUncommon37–40 cmRecorded all year
Audouin's GullIchthyaetus audouiniiResidentUncommon48–52 cmRecorded all year
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaSummer visitorUncommon33–42 cmRegularly Mar–Sep
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusWinter visitorUncommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorUncommon21–25 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorUncommon31–35 cmRegularly Mar–Dec
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorUncommon22–26 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
European Herring GullLarus argentatusWinter visitorUncommon55–67 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Common GullLarus canusWinter visitorUncommon40–46 cmRegularly Aug–Jun
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaWinter visitorUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusWinter visitorUncommon25–30 cmRegularly Sep–May
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Aug–Dec
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaPassage migrantRare33–39 cmRegularly Apr–Dec
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisWinter visitorRare43–54 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusSummer visitorRare20–27 cmRegularly Apr–Feb
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorRare52–60 cmRegularly Nov–Jul
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiSummer visitorRare33–41 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaWinter visitorRare28–38 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorRare62–68 cmRegularly Nov–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