Gulls & Terns in Maine
Our list for Maine has 16 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 4 residents, 5 summer visitors, 5 winter visitors and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Maine in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 16, most common first
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusResidentCommon53–65 cmRecorded all year
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisWinter visitorCommon43–54 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly May–Sep
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaSummer visitorUncommon28–38 cmRegularly May–Dec
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorUncommon33–39 cmRegularly May–Aug
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorUncommon52–64 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiSummer visitorUncommon33–41 cmRegularly May–Aug
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaWinter visitorUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Jun–Feb
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorRare22–26 cmRegularly May–Aug
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorRare62–68 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusScarceRare38–44 cm
Forster's TernSterna forsteriResidentRare33–36 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusResidentRare25–30 cmRegularly Jul–Sep
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanScarceRare32–36 cm
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Black Tern 22–26 cm
- Little Gull 25–30 cm
- Common Tern 31–35 cm
- Bonaparte's Gull 28–38 cm
- Franklin's Gull 32–36 cm
- Forster's Tern 33–36 cm
- Arctic Tern 33–39 cm
- Roseate Tern 33–41 cm
- Kittiwake 37–41 cm
- Black-headed Gull 38–44 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
- 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