Gulls & Terns in Suffolk
Our list for Suffolk has 17 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 4 residents, 8 summer visitors, 2 winter visitors, 2 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Suffolk in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 17, 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
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Common GullLarus canusWinter visitorCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorCommon36–41 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusSummer visitorCommon37–40 cmRecorded all year
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaSummer visitorUncommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusSummer visitorUncommon25–30 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorUncommon21–25 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisWinter visitorUncommon52–68 cmRecorded all year
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiSummer visitorUncommon33–41 cmRegularly May–Jul
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorUncommon33–39 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantUncommon22–26 cmRegularly May–Sep
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusScarceRare62–68 cm
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Oct
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
- Roseate Tern 33–41 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
- 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