Gulls & Terns in Shetland Islands
Our list for Shetland Islands has 13 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 5 residents, 4 summer visitors, 2 winter visitors and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Shetland Islands in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 13, most common first
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRecorded all year
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorCommon33–39 cmRegularly May–Aug
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Common GullLarus canusResidentCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaResidentCommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusSummer visitorCommon52–64 cmRegularly Feb–Oct
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorCommon62–68 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly May–Sep
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorCommon52–60 cmRegularly Nov–May
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusScarceUncommon25–30 cm
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorRare36–41 cmRegularly May–Jul
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusScarceRare37–40 cm
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Little Gull 25–30 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