Gulls & Terns in Fife
Our list for Fife has 15 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 5 residents, 5 summer visitors, 4 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Fife 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
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusSummer visitorCommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorCommon36–41 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Common GullLarus canusResidentCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaResidentCommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorCommon33–39 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusSummer visitorCommon25–30 cmRegularly May–Jan
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusPassage migrantUncommon37–40 cmRegularly Jul–Feb
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusScarceUncommon62–68 cm
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantRare22–26 cmRegularly Aug
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesPassage migrantRare52–60 cmRegularly Nov
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiPassage migrantRare33–41 cmRegularly Jul–Aug
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Black Tern 22–26 cm
- Little Gull 25–30 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
- 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