Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of the United States

61 gulls, terns and skimmers have been recorded in the United States 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 the United States to know first

• Aleutian TernOnychoprion aleuticus
• American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
• Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
• Belcher’s GullLarus belcheri
• Black NoddyAnous minutus
• Black SkimmerRynchops niger
• Black TernChlidonias niger
• Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
• Black-legged KittiwakeRissa tridactyla
• Black-tailed GullLarus crassirostris
• 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

The full list — 61 gulls, terns and skimmers of the United States in our library

• Aleutian Tern
• American Herring Gull
• Arctic Tern
• Belcher’s Gull
• Black Noddy
• Black Skimmer
• Black Tern
• Black-headed Gull
• Black-legged Kittiwake
• Black-tailed Gull
• Blue Noddy
• Blue-billed White Tern
• Bonaparte’s Gull
• Bridled Tern
• Brown Noddy
• California Gull
• Caspian Tern
• Common Gull
• Common Tern
• Elegant Tern
• European Herring Gull
• Forster’s Tern
• Franklin’s Gull
• Glaucous Gull
• Glaucous-winged Gull
• Great Black-backed Gull
• Greater Crested Tern
• Grey Gull
• Grey-headed Gull
• Gull-billed Tern
• Heermann’s Gull
• Iceland Gull
• Inca Tern
• Ivory Gull
• Kelp Gull
• Large-billed Tern
• Laughing Gull
• Least Tern
• Lesser Black-backed Gull
• Little Gull
• Little Tern
• Pallas’s Gull
• Red-legged Kittiwake
• Ring-billed Gull
• Roseate Tern
• Ross’s Gull
• Royal Tern
• Sabine’s Gull
• Sandwich Tern
• Short-billed Gull
• Silver Gull
• Slaty-backed Gull
• Sooty Tern
• Spectacled Tern
• Swallow-tailed Gull
• Vega Gull
• Western Gull
• Whiskered Tern
• White-winged Tern
• Yellow-footed Gull
• Yellow-legged Gull

Keep exploring

• Birds of the United States
• Ducks, Geese & Swans of the United States (102 species)
• Parrots, Cockatoos & Allies of the United States (88 species)
• Sandpipers & Allies of the United States (66 species)
• True Finches of the United States (60 species)
• New World Warblers of the United States (57 species)
• Tyrant Flycatchers of the United States (47 species)
• New World Sparrows of the United States (46 species)
• Petrels & Shearwaters of the United States (43 species)
• Hawks, Eagles & Kites of the United States (42 species)
• Pheasants, Grouse & Allies of the United States (36 species)
• Crows, Jays & Magpies of the United States (33 species)
• Waxbills & Munias of the United States (32 species)
• New World Blackbirds & Orioles of the United States (31 species)
• Thrushes of the United States (31 species)
• Pigeons & Doves of the United States (28 species)
• Woodpeckers of the United States (25 species)
• Hummingbirds of the United States (24 species)
• Owls of the United States (24 species)
• Tanagers & Allies of the United States (23 species)
• Auks, Murres & Puffins of the United States (22 species)
• Herons, Egrets & Bitterns of the United States (22 species)
• Old World Flycatchers & Chats of the United States (21 species)
• Rails, Crakes & Coots of the United States (21 species)
• Cardinals & Grosbeaks of the United States (19 species)
• Plovers of the United States (19 species)
• Vireos of the United States (18 species)

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers in other regions

• 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)
• Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Ireland (38 species)
• Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Ecuador (37 species)
• Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Australia (36 species)
• Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of Colombia (35 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.