Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Hawaii
34 gulls, terns and skimmers recorded in Hawaii 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.
34 gulls, terns and skimmers have been recorded in Hawaii 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 Hawaii to know first
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
Black NoddyAnous minutus
Black TernChlidonias niger
Black-legged KittiwakeRissa tridactyla
Blue NoddyAnous ceruleus
Blue-billed White TernGygis candida
Bonaparte’s GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
Bridled TernOnychoprion anaethetus
Brown NoddyAnous stolidus
California GullLarus californicus
Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
Common GullLarus canus
Common TernSterna hirundo
Elegant TernThalasseus elegans
Franklin’s GullLeucophaeus pipixcan
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
Glaucous-winged GullLarus glaucescens
The full list — 34 gulls, terns and skimmers of Hawaii in our library
- American Herring Gull
- Arctic Tern
- Black Noddy
- Black Tern
- Black-legged Kittiwake
- Blue Noddy
- Blue-billed White Tern
- Bonaparte’s Gull
- Bridled Tern
- Brown Noddy
- California Gull
- Caspian Tern
- Common Gull
- Common Tern
- Elegant Tern
- Franklin’s Gull
- Glaucous Gull
- Glaucous-winged Gull
- Greater Crested Tern
- Gull-billed Tern
- Inca Tern
- Laughing Gull
- Least Tern
- Little Tern
- Ring-billed Gull
- Sandwich Tern
- Short-billed Gull
- Slaty-backed Gull
- Sooty Tern
- Spectacled Tern
- Vega Gull
- Western Gull
- Whiskered Tern
- White-winged Tern
Keep exploring
- Birds of Hawaii
- Ducks, Geese & Swans of Hawaii (50 species)
- Sandpipers & Allies of Hawaii (45 species)
- True Finches of Hawaii (26 species)
- Parrots, Cockatoos & Allies of Hawaii (24 species)
- Petrels & Shearwaters of Hawaii (24 species)
Gulls, Terns & Skimmers in other regions
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of California (43 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Florida (42 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 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 Hawaii?
34 gulls, terns and skimmers that we profile appear on Hawaii'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 Hawaii'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 Hawaii 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.