Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of British Columbia
31 gulls, terns and skimmers recorded in British Columbia 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.
31 gulls, terns and skimmers have been recorded in British Columbia 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 British Columbia to know first
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
Black TernChlidonias niger
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
Black-legged KittiwakeRissa tridactyla
Black-tailed GullLarus crassirostris
Bonaparte’s GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
California GullLarus californicus
Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
Common TernSterna hirundo
Elegant TernThalasseus elegans
Forster’s TernSterna forsteri
Franklin’s GullLeucophaeus pipixcan
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
Glaucous-winged GullLarus glaucescens
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
Heermann’s GullLarus heermanni
Iceland GullLarus glaucoides
The full list — 31 gulls, terns and skimmers of British Columbia in our library
- American Herring Gull
- Arctic Tern
- Black Tern
- Black-headed Gull
- Black-legged Kittiwake
- Black-tailed Gull
- Bonaparte’s Gull
- California Gull
- Caspian Tern
- Common Tern
- Elegant Tern
- Forster’s Tern
- Franklin’s Gull
- Glaucous Gull
- Glaucous-winged Gull
- Great Black-backed Gull
- Heermann’s Gull
- Iceland Gull
- Ivory Gull
- Laughing Gull
- Least Tern
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Little Gull
- Red-legged Kittiwake
- Ring-billed Gull
- Ross’s Gull
- Sabine’s Gull
- Short-billed Gull
- Slaty-backed Gull
- Vega Gull
- Western Gull
Keep exploring
- Birds of British Columbia
- Ducks, Geese & Swans of British Columbia (63 species)
- Sandpipers & Allies of British Columbia (48 species)
- New World Warblers of British Columbia (36 species)
- New World Sparrows of British Columbia (25 species)
- Tyrant Flycatchers of British Columbia (20 species)
- Pheasants, Grouse & Allies of British Columbia (18 species)
Gulls, Terns & Skimmers in other regions
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Newfoundland and Labrador (37 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Ontario (36 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Nova Scotia (35 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Quebec (34 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of New Brunswick (32 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Manitoba (27 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Alberta (25 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Nunavut (22 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Saskatchewan (22 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Yukon Territory (22 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Northwest Territories (21 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Prince Edward Island (21 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 British Columbia?
31 gulls, terns and skimmers that we profile appear on British Columbia'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 British Columbia'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 British Columbia 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.