Gulls & Terns in Wales
Our list for Wales has 18 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 5 residents, 6 summer visitors, 2 winter visitors and 5 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Wales in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 18, most common first
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRecorded all year
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusResidentCommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Common GullLarus canusWinter visitorCommon40–46 cmRecorded all year
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaSummer visitorCommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorCommon36–41 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusResidentUncommon37–40 cmRecorded all year
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorUncommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorUncommon33–39 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiSummer visitorUncommon33–41 cmRegularly May–Sep
Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellisWinter visitorUncommon52–68 cmRegularly Jun–Mar
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorUncommon21–25 cmRegularly May–Sep
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantRare22–26 cmRegularly May–Sep
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusPassage migrantRare25–30 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesPassage migrantRare52–60 cmRegularly Feb–Mar
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaPassage migrantRare28–38 cmRegularly Apr
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
- Bonaparte's Gull 28–38 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
- Yellow-legged Gull 52–68 cm
- European Herring Gull 55–67 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