Gulls & Terns in New Jersey
Our list for New Jersey has 18 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 2 residents, 4 summer visitors, 6 winter visitors and 6 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in New Jersey in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 18, 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
Forster's TernSterna forsteriSummer visitorCommon33–36 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorCommon31–35 cmRegularly May–Oct
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorUncommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaWinter visitorUncommon28–38 cmRegularly Oct–May
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaSummer visitorUncommon33–42 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Black TernChlidonias nigerPassage migrantUncommon22–26 cmRegularly May–Sep
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Nov–May
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaPassage migrantUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Oct–Feb
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusWinter visitorRare38–44 cmRegularly Nov–May
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorRare62–68 cmRegularly Nov–May
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiSummer visitorRare33–41 cmRegularly May–Sep
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisPassage migrantRare36–41 cmRegularly Jun–Sep
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaPassage migrantRare33–39 cmRegularly May–Jun
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusPassage migrantRare25–30 cmRegularly Nov–May
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanPassage migrantRare32–36 cmRegularly Jun–Nov
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
- Gull-billed Tern 33–42 cm
- Sandwich Tern 36–41 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