Gulls & Terns in Argyll and Bute
Our list for Argyll and Bute has 15 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 5 residents, 4 summer visitors and 6 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Argyll and Bute in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 15, most common first
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRecorded all year
Common GullLarus canusResidentCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusSummer visitorCommon52–64 cmRegularly Jan–Nov
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaResidentCommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorCommon33–39 cmRegularly May–Sep
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorUncommon36–41 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesPassage migrantUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Dec–Feb
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusPassage migrantUncommon62–68 cmRegularly Dec–May
Little TernSternula albifronsPassage migrantUncommon21–25 cmRegularly May–Aug
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusPassage migrantUncommon37–40 cmRegularly Jan–Aug
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusPassage migrantRare25–30 cmRegularly May
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaPassage migrantRare28–38 cmRegularly Jul
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Little Tern 21–25 cm
- Little Gull 25–30 cm
- Common Tern 31–35 cm
- Bonaparte's Gull 28–38 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
- 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