Gulls & Terns in Massachusetts
Our list for Massachusetts has 19 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 2 residents, 4 summer visitors, 7 winter visitors, 5 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Massachusetts in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 19, 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–Oct
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiSummer visitorUncommon33–41 cmRegularly May–Sep
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaWinter visitorUncommon28–38 cmRecorded all year
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Forster's TernSterna forsteriPassage migrantUncommon33–36 cmRegularly Jul–Nov
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorUncommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantUncommon22–26 cmRegularly Jun–Sep
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaWinter visitorUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Jun–Mar
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusWinter visitorRare38–44 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorRare62–68 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorRare33–39 cmRegularly May–Aug
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Jul–Sep
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaScarceRare33–42 cm
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusSummer visitorRare25–30 cmRegularly May–Nov
Common GullLarus canusPassage migrantRare40–46 cmRegularly Jan–Mar
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanPassage migrantRare32–36 cmRegularly Jun–Nov
Smallest to largest
Length, 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
- 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
- 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
- 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