Gulls & Terns in United States
Our list for United States has 22 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 8 residents, 8 summer visitors, 5 winter visitors and 1 passage migrant
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in United States in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 22, most common first
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisResidentCommon43–54 cmRecorded all year
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusResidentCommon53–65 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentUncommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaWinter visitorUncommon28–38 cmRecorded all year
Forster's TernSterna forsteriResidentUncommon33–36 cmRecorded all year
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorUncommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorUncommon22–26 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorUncommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanSummer visitorUncommon32–36 cmRegularly Mar–Dec
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorRare33–39 cmRegularly May–Sep
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisResidentRare36–41 cmRecorded all year
Sabine's GullXema sabiniSummer visitorRare27–33 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusResidentRare62–68 cmRecorded all year
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaResidentRare37–41 cmRecorded all year
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaSummer visitorRare33–42 cmRecorded all year
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiSummer visitorRare33–41 cmRegularly May–Sep
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusWinter visitorRare38–44 cmRecorded all year
Vega GullLarus vegaeSummer visitorRare55–67 cmRegularly May–Dec
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusResidentRare25–30 cmRecorded all year
Common GullLarus canusWinter visitorRare40–46 cmRegularly Dec–Mar
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusPassage migrantRare20–27 cmRegularly May
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- White-winged Tern 20–27 cm
- Black Tern 22–26 cm
- Little Gull 25–30 cm
- Sabine's Gull 27–33 cm
- Bonaparte's Gull 28–38 cm
- Common Tern 31–35 cm
- Franklin's Gull 32–36 cm
- Forster's Tern 33–36 cm
- Arctic Tern 33–39 cm
- Roseate Tern 33–41 cm
- Gull-billed Tern 33–42 cm
- Sandwich Tern 36–41 cm
- Kittiwake 37–41 cm
- Black-headed Gull 38–44 cm
- Common Gull 40–46 cm
- Ring-billed Gull 43–54 cm
- Iceland Gull 52–60 cm
- Lesser Black-backed Gull 52–64 cm
- American Herring Gull 53–65 cm
- Vega 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