Gulls & Terns in New York
Our list for New York has 19 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 6 summer visitors, 10 winter visitors, 2 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in New York in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 19, most common first
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisWinter visitorCommon43–54 cmRecorded all year
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusWinter visitorCommon53–65 cmRecorded all year
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusWinter visitorCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorUncommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaWinter visitorUncommon28–38 cmRegularly Jul–May
Forster's TernSterna forsteriSummer visitorUncommon33–36 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorUncommon52–64 cmRecorded all year
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorUncommon22–26 cmRegularly May–Sep
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorUncommon62–68 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiSummer visitorRare33–41 cmRegularly May–Sep
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaWinter visitorRare37–41 cmRegularly Sep–Feb
Gull-billed TernGelochelidon niloticaSummer visitorRare33–42 cmRegularly May–Aug
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusWinter visitorRare38–44 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusWinter visitorRare25–30 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Sep–Nov
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanPassage migrantRare32–36 cmRegularly May–Oct
Common GullLarus canusScarceRare40–46 cm
Arctic TernSterna paradisaeaSummer visitorRare33–39 cmRegularly May–Jul
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