Gulls & Terns in Sri Lanka
Our list for Sri Lanka has 8 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 2 residents, 4 winter visitors and 2 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Sri Lanka in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 8, most common first
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaWinter visitorUncommon33–42 cmRegularly Jul–May
Little TernSternula albifronsResidentUncommon21–25 cmRecorded all year
Common TernSterna hirundoResidentUncommon31–35 cmRecorded all year
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusWinter visitorUncommon20–27 cmRegularly Aug–May
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorUncommon52–64 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Lesser NoddyAnous tenuirostrisPassage migrantRare30–34 cmRegularly May
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisWinter visitorRare36–41 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiPassage migrantRare33–41 cmRegularly Feb
Smallest to largest
Length, cmData: 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