Gulls & Terns in Sweden
Our list for Sweden has 18 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 4 residents, 9 summer visitors, 1 winter visitor, 2 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Sweden in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 18, most common first
Common GullLarus canusResidentCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRecorded all year
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusSummer visitorCommon52–64 cmRegularly Mar–Dec
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorCommon33–39 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorUncommon36–41 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusSummer visitorUncommon25–30 cmRegularly Apr–Feb
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorUncommon21–25 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaWinter visitorUncommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorUncommon22–26 cmRegularly May–Sep
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusPassage migrantRare62–68 cmRegularly Dec–Apr
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisPassage migrantRare52–68 cmRegularly Jul–Dec
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusSummer visitorRare37–40 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesScarceRare52–60 cm
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusSummer visitorRare20–27 cmRegularly May–Jul
Sabine's GullXema sabiniScarceRare27–33 cmRegularly Oct
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
- 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