Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Northern Ireland
29 gulls, terns and skimmers recorded in Northern Ireland 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.
29 gulls, terns and skimmers have been recorded in Northern Ireland 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 Northern Ireland to know first
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
Black TernChlidonias niger
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
Black-legged KittiwakeRissa tridactyla
Bonaparte’s GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
Caspian GullLarus cachinnans
Common GullLarus canus
Common TernSterna hirundo
Elegant TernThalasseus elegans
European Herring GullLarus argentatus
Forster’s TernSterna forsteri
Franklin’s GullLeucophaeus pipixcan
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
Iceland GullLarus glaucoides
Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
The full list — 29 gulls, terns and skimmers of Northern Ireland in our library
- American Herring Gull
- Arctic Tern
- Black Tern
- Black-headed Gull
- Black-legged Kittiwake
- Bonaparte’s Gull
- Caspian Gull
- Common Gull
- Common Tern
- Elegant Tern
- European Herring Gull
- Forster’s Tern
- Franklin’s Gull
- Glaucous Gull
- Great Black-backed Gull
- Iceland Gull
- Laughing Gull
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Little Gull
- Little Tern
- Mediterranean Gull
- Ring-billed Gull
- Roseate Tern
- Ross’s Gull
- Sabine’s Gull
- Sandwich Tern
- Sooty Tern
- Whiskered Tern
- Yellow-legged Gull
Keep exploring
- Birds of Northern Ireland
- Ducks, Geese & Swans of Northern Ireland (49 species)
- Sandpipers & Allies of Northern Ireland (35 species)
Gulls, Terns & Skimmers in other regions
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of England (45 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Scotland (35 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Wales (35 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of the United States (61 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Japan (47 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of the United Kingdom (45 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Canada (43 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Portugal (42 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Spain (42 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of France (41 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of India (40 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Mexico (40 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 Northern Ireland?
29 gulls, terns and skimmers that we profile appear on Northern Ireland'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 Northern Ireland'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 Northern Ireland 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.
