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Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of California

43 gulls, terns and skimmers recorded in California 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.

By Birbs Editorial Updated 2 min read
American Herring Gull
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)

43 gulls, terns and skimmers have been recorded in California 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 California to know first

The full list — 43 gulls, terns and skimmers of California in our library

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Gulls, Terns & Skimmers in other regions

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.

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Frequently asked questions

How many gulls, terns and skimmers are found in California?

43 gulls, terns and skimmers that we profile appear on California'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 California'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 California 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.

Sources & further reading

  1. eBird / Cornell Lab of Ornithology (opens in a new tab)
  2. IOC World Bird List (family taxonomy) (opens in a new tab)
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