Gulls & Terns in Essex
Our list for Essex has 15 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 6 residents, 4 summer visitors, 1 winter visitor, 3 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Essex in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 15, most common first
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusResidentCommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Common GullLarus canusWinter visitorCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusResidentCommon37–40 cmRecorded all year
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisSummer visitorUncommon52–68 cmRegularly May–Feb
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorUncommon36–41 cmRegularly May–Oct
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantUncommon22–26 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorUncommon21–25 cmRegularly May–Sep
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaPassage migrantUncommon33–39 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusPassage migrantRare25–30 cmRegularly Mar–Nov
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaResidentRare37–41 cmRegularly Oct–May
Sabine's GullXema sabiniScarceRare27–33 cm
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
- Arctic Tern 33–39 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
- Lesser Black-backed Gull 52–64 cm
- Yellow-legged Gull 52–68 cm
- European Herring Gull 55–67 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