Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Florida
42 gulls, terns and skimmers recorded in Florida on the eBird network and profiled in the Birbs encyclopedia — the full list, with photos, sounds and ID notes, plus what's near you now.
42 gulls, terns and skimmers have been recorded in Florida on eBird, the global citizen-science database run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and carry a full profile in the Birbs encyclopedia. Every bird below is a member of this group — the family Laridae. Start with the well-known species, browse the complete list, then check which are being reported near you right now.
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Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Florida to know first
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
Belcher’s GullLarus belcheri
Black NoddyAnous minutus
Black SkimmerRynchops niger
Black TernChlidonias niger
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
Black-legged KittiwakeRissa tridactyla
Black-tailed GullLarus crassirostris
Bonaparte’s GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
Bridled TernOnychoprion anaethetus
Brown NoddyAnous stolidus
California GullLarus californicus
Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
Common TernSterna hirundo
Elegant TernThalasseus elegans
European Herring GullLarus argentatus
Forster’s TernSterna forsteri
The full list — 42 gulls, terns and skimmers of Florida in our library
- American Herring Gull
- Arctic Tern
- Belcher’s Gull
- Black Noddy
- Black Skimmer
- Black Tern
- Black-headed Gull
- Black-legged Kittiwake
- Black-tailed Gull
- Bonaparte’s Gull
- Bridled Tern
- Brown Noddy
- California Gull
- Caspian Tern
- Common Tern
- Elegant Tern
- European Herring Gull
- Forster’s Tern
- Franklin’s Gull
- Glaucous Gull
- Glaucous-winged Gull
- Great Black-backed Gull
- Grey Gull
- Grey-headed Gull
- Gull-billed Tern
- Heermann’s Gull
- Iceland Gull
- Kelp Gull
- Large-billed Tern
- Laughing Gull
- Least Tern
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Little Gull
- Ring-billed Gull
- Roseate Tern
- Royal Tern
- Sabine’s Gull
- Sandwich Tern
- Slaty-backed Gull
- Sooty Tern
- Vega Gull
- Yellow-legged Gull
Keep exploring
- Birds of Florida
- Ducks, Geese & Swans of Florida (70 species)
- Parrots, Cockatoos & Allies of Florida (64 species)
- New World Warblers of Florida (45 species)
- Sandpipers & Allies of Florida (40 species)
- Tyrant Flycatchers of Florida (32 species)
- New World Sparrows of Florida (29 species)
- Hawks, Eagles & Kites of Florida (22 species)
- New World Blackbirds & Orioles of Florida (22 species)
- Pigeons & Doves of Florida (18 species)
Gulls, Terns & Skimmers in other regions
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of California (43 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Texas (42 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of New York (40 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Massachusetts (39 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of New Jersey (39 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Maryland (37 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Virginia (36 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Alaska (35 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Delaware (35 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of North Carolina (35 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Hawaii (34 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Illinois (34 species)
Species and counts come from the eBird network; "recorded" means reported by birders to eBird. Family grouping follows the IOC World Bird List. Tap any bird for its full profile.
Frequently asked questions
How many gulls, terns and skimmers are found in Florida?
42 gulls, terns and skimmers that we profile appear on Florida's eBird-reported checklist. The full A–Z list is on this page; the real total can shift as eBird records are added.
Are all of these gulls, terns and skimmers really found there?
Yes — each one is on Florida's eBird checklist (reported by birders to the Cornell Lab's eBird), and each of these gulls, terns and skimmers belongs to the family group named on this page. We don't rank them by abundance, because that varies by season and locale.
Where can I see gulls, terns and skimmers in Florida right now?
Use Birds Near You for live, location-based reports, or turn on rare-bird alerts to hear when a notable one shows up close to you.