Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Alaska
35 gulls, terns and skimmers recorded in Alaska 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.
35 gulls, terns and skimmers have been recorded in Alaska 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 Alaska to know first
Aleutian TernOnychoprion aleuticus
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 GullLarus canus
Common TernSterna hirundo
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 — 35 gulls, terns and skimmers of Alaska in our library
- Aleutian Tern
- American Herring Gull
- Arctic Tern
- Black Tern
- Black-headed Gull
- Black-legged Kittiwake
- Black-tailed Gull
- Bonaparte’s Gull
- California Gull
- Caspian Tern
- Common Gull
- Common 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
- Pallas’s Gull
- Red-legged Kittiwake
- Ring-billed Gull
- Ross’s Gull
- Sabine’s Gull
- Sandwich Tern
- Short-billed Gull
- Slaty-backed Gull
- Sooty Tern
- Vega Gull
- Western Gull
- White-winged Tern
Keep exploring
- All birds of Alaska
- Ducks, Geese & Swans of Alaska
- Hawks, Eagles & Kites of Alaska
- Herons, Egrets & Bitterns of Alaska
- New World Sparrows of Alaska
- New World Warblers of Alaska
- Owls of Alaska
- Sandpipers & Allies of Alaska
- Thrushes of Alaska
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 Alaska?
35 gulls, terns and skimmers that we profile appear on Alaska'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 Alaska'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 Alaska 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.
