Gulls & Terns in Highland
Our list for Highland has 15 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 4 residents, 6 summer visitors, 1 winter visitor, 3 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Highland 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
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaSummer visitorCommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusSummer visitorCommon52–64 cmRegularly Jan–Oct
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorCommon36–41 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorUncommon33–39 cmRegularly May–Sep
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Dec–May
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusPassage migrantUncommon62–68 cmRegularly Sep–May
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusPassage migrantRare25–30 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorRare21–25 cmRegularly May–Aug
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusScarceRare37–40 cm
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Little Tern 21–25 cm
- Little Gull 25–30 cm
- Sabine's Gull 27–33 cm
- Common Tern 31–35 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