The Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) is a tern in the family Laridae. These amazing birds perform the longest migrations known in the animal world. They have a circumpolar breeding distribution and see two summers each year. Arctic terns nest once...
The Black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) is a small and one of the most abundant gulls in much of Europe and Asia, and also in eastern Canada. It displays a variety of compelling behaviors and adaptations. Some of these include removing...
The Great black-backed gull (Larus marinus ) is the largest member of the gull family. Described by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as "the king of the Atlantic waterfront", it is a very aggressive hunter, pirate, and scavenger.
The Common tern (Sterna hirundo) is a seabird that has a circumpolar distribution. it has four subspecies breeding in temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. Its large population and huge breeding range mean that this...
The common gull or sea mew (Larus canus ) is a medium-sized gull that breeds in the Palearctic, northern Europe. The closely related short-billed gull is sometimes included in this species, which may be known collectively as "mew gull". Many common...
The ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis ) is a medium-sized gull. The genus name is from Latin Larus which appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird. The specific delawarensis refers to the Delaware River.
The sooty tern (Onychoprion fuscatus ) is a seabird in the family Laridae. It is a bird of the tropical oceans, returning to land only to breed on islands throughout the equatorial zone.
The American herring gull or Smithsonian gull (Larus smithsonianus or Larus argentatus smithsonianus ) is a large gull that breeds in North America, where it is treated by the American Ornithologists' Union as a subspecies of herring gull (L....
The black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla ) is a seabird species in the gull family Laridae.This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae as Larus tridactylus. The English name is derived...
The lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus ) is a large gull that breeds on the Atlantic coasts of Europe. It is migratory, wintering from the British Isles south to West Africa. It has increased dramatically in North America, most common along the...
English: The black skimmer (Rynchops niger ) is a tern-like seabird, one of three similar birds species in the skimmer genus Rynchops in the gull family Laridae. It breeds in North and South America. Northern populations winter in the warmer waters...
The laughing gull (Leucophaeus atricilla ) is a medium-sized gull of North and South America. Named for its laugh-like call, it is an opportunistic omnivore and scavenger. It breeds in large colonies mostly along the Atlantic coast of North America,...
The California gull (Larus californicus ) is a medium-sized gull, smaller on average than the herring gull but larger on average than the ring-billed gull, though it may overlap in size greatly with both.
The Caspian tern (Hydroprogne caspia ) is a species of tern, with a subcosmopolitan but scattered distribution. Despite its extensive range, it is monotypic of its genus, and has no accepted subspecies. The genus name is from Ancient Greek hudros,...
The white tern or common white tern (Gygis alba ) is a small seabird found across the tropical oceans of the world. It is sometimes known as the fairy tern although this name is potentially confusing as it is also the common name of Sternula nereis....
The silver gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae ) is the most common gull of Australia. It has been found throughout the continent, but particularly at or near coastal areas. It is smaller than the Pacific gull (Larus pacificus ), which also lives...
The yellow-legged gull is a large gull found in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, which has only recently achieved wide recognition as a distinct species. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of either the Caspian gull L. cachinnans, or...
Sabine's gull ( SAY-bin) (Xema sabini ) also known as the fork-tailed gull or xeme, is a small gull. It is the only species placed in the genus Xema. It breeds in colonies on coasts and tundra, laying two or three spotted olive-brown eggs in a...
The least tern (Sternula antillarum ) is a species of tern that breeds in North America and locally in northern South America. It is closely related to, and was formerly often considered conspecific with, the little tern of the Old World. Other...
The kelp gull (Larus dominicanus ), also known as the Dominican gull, is a gull that breeds on coasts and islands through much of the Southern Hemisphere. The nominate L. d. dominicanus is the subspecies found around South America, parts of...
The red-billed gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae scopulinus ), also known as tarāpunga and once also known as the mackerel gull, is a native of New Zealand, being found throughout the country and on outlying islands including the Chatham Islands...
The Inca tern is one of the world’s most beautiful and interesting birds. It occurs along the Pacific Coast from northern Peru to central Chile. This bird is easily recognizable with its dark gray body, and red-orange beak and claws, and its lovely...
The glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus ) is a large gull, the second-largest gull in the world. It breeds in Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and winters south to shores of the Holarctic. The genus name is from Latin larus, which appears to...
The Pacific gull (Larus pacificus ) is a very large gull, native to the coasts of Australia. It is moderately common between Carnarvon in the west, and Sydney in the east, although it has become scarce in some parts of the south-east, as a result of...
The Sandwich tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis ) is a tern in the family Laridae. It is very closely related to the lesser crested tern (T. bengalensis ), Chinese crested tern (T. bernsteini ), Cabot's tern (T. acuflavidus ), and elegant tern (T....
The western gull (Larus occidentalis ) is a large white-headed gull that lives on the west coast of North America. It was previously considered conspecific with the yellow-footed gull (Larus livens ) of the Gulf of California. The western gull...
The roseate tern (Sterna dougallii ) is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name Sterna is derived from Old English "stearn", "tern", and the specific dougallii refers to Scottish physician and collector Dr Peter McDougall (1777–1814). "Roseate"...
The royal tern (Thalasseus maximus ) is a tern in the family Laridae. The species is endemic to the Americas, though strays have been identified in Europe.
Franklin's gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan ) is a small (length 12.6–14.2 in, 32–36 cm) gull. The genus name Leucophaeus is from Ancient Greek leukos, "white", and phaios, "dusky". The specific pipixcan is a Nahuatl name for a type of gull.
Bonaparte's gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia ) is a member of the gull family Laridae found mainly in northern North America. At 28 to 38 cm (11 to 15 in) in length, it is one of the smallest species of gull. Its plumage is mainly white with grey...
The brown noddy or common noddy (Anous stolidus ) is a seabird in the family Laridae. The largest of the noddies, it can be told from the closely related black noddy by its larger size and plumage, which is dark brown rather than black. The brown...
The black tern (Chlidonias niger ) is a small tern generally found in or near inland water in Europe, Western Asia and North America. As its name suggests, it has predominantly dark plumage. In some lights it can appear blue in the breeding season,...
The black-tailed gull (Larus crassirostris ) is a gull native to shorelines of East Asia.
The little gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus or Larus minutus ), is a small gull that breeds in northern Europe and across the Palearctic. The genus name Hydrocoloeus is from Ancient Greek hydro, "water", and koloios, a sort of web-footed bird. The...
The little tern (Sternula albifrons ) is a seabird of the family Laridae. It was formerly placed into the genus Sterna, which now is restricted to the large white terns. The genus name is a diminutive of Sterna, "tern". The specific albifrons is...
The ivory gull (Pagophila eburnea ) is a small gull, the only species in the genus Pagophila. It breeds in the high Arctic and has a circumpolar distribution through Greenland, northernmost North America, and Eurasia.
The Caspian gull (Larus cachinnans) is a large gull and a member of the herring and lesser black-backed gull complex. The scientific name is from Latin. Larus appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird, and cachinnans means...
The European herring gull (Larus argentatus) is one of the best-known of all gulls along the shores of Western Europe, it was once abundant. While the numbers of these birds appear to have been harmed in recent years, possibly by fish population...
The black noddy or white-capped noddy (Anous minutus ) is a seabird from the family Laridae. It is a medium-sized species of tern with black plumage and a white cap. It closely resembles the lesser noddy (Anous tenuirostris ) with which it was at...
The gull-billed tern (Gelochelidon nilotica ), formerly Sterna nilotica, is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek gelao, "to laugh", and khelidon, "swallow". The specific niloticus is from Latin and means of the Nile....
Ross's gull (Rhodostethia rosea ) is a small gull, the only species in its genus, although it has been suggested it should be moved to the genus Hydrocoloeus, which otherwise only includes the little gull.This bird is named after the British...
The whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida ) is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek khelidonios, "swallow-like", from khelidon, "swallow". The specific hybridus is Latin for hybrid ; Pallas thought it might be a hybrid of...
