Gulls & Terns in Cornwall
Our list for Cornwall has 20 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 6 residents, 1 summer visitor, 5 winter visitors, 7 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Cornwall in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 20, most common first
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRecorded all year
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusResidentCommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaResidentCommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusWinter visitorCommon37–40 cmRegularly Jun–Apr
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorCommon36–41 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Common GullLarus canusWinter visitorCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisResidentUncommon52–68 cmRecorded all year
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaPassage migrantUncommon33–39 cmRegularly Jul–Oct
Common TernSterna hirundoPassage migrantUncommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantUncommon27–33 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisWinter visitorUncommon43–54 cmRegularly Dec–Mar
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusPassage migrantUncommon62–68 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantUncommon22–26 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusWinter visitorUncommon25–30 cmRegularly Aug–Feb
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaScarceRare28–38 cm
Little TernSternula albifronsPassage migrantRare21–25 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiPassage migrantRare33–41 cmRegularly Jun
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Little Tern 21–25 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
- Roseate Tern 33–41 cm
- Mediterranean Gull 37–40 cm
- Sandwich Tern 36–41 cm
- Kittiwake 37–41 cm
- Black-headed Gull 38–44 cm
- Common Gull 40–46 cm
- Ring-billed Gull 43–54 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