Gulls & Terns in Lancashire
Our list for Lancashire has 14 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 6 residents, 3 summer visitors, 2 winter visitors, 2 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Lancashire in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 14, most common first
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusResidentCommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRecorded all year
Common GullLarus canusWinter visitorCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorUncommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusResidentUncommon37–40 cmRecorded all year
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorUncommon36–41 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorUncommon33–39 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantUncommon22–26 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusPassage migrantRare25–30 cmRegularly Mar–May
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaWinter visitorRare37–41 cmRegularly Aug–Jun
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisResidentRare52–68 cmRegularly Jan–Feb
Little TernSternula albifronsScarceRare21–25 cm
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Little Tern 21–25 cm
- Black Tern 22–26 cm
- Little Gull 25–30 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