Gulls & Terns in Ohio
Our list for Ohio has 15 gulls & terns recorded regularly there: 2 residents, 4 summer visitors, 4 winter visitors, 4 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Ohio in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 15, most common first
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisResidentCommon43–54 cmRecorded all year
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusResidentCommon53–65 cmRecorded all year
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaPassage migrantCommon28–38 cmRegularly Mar–Jan
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusWinter visitorUncommon64–79 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorUncommon31–35 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorUncommon52–64 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Forster's TernSterna forsteriSummer visitorUncommon33–36 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorUncommon62–68 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanSummer visitorRare32–36 cmRegularly Apr–Nov
Black TernChlidonias nigerSummer visitorRare22–26 cmRegularly May–Sep
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusPassage migrantRare25–30 cmRegularly Nov–May
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusScarceRare38–44 cm
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaPassage migrantRare37–41 cmRegularly Nov–Dec
Sabine's GullXema sabiniPassage migrantRare27–33 cmRegularly Sep–Nov
Smallest to largest
Length, 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
- 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